DISTRICT 8, SPRINGFIELD - The traffic signal at U.S. 60 and Webster County Routes C/K in Seymour is operating on fixed timing until problems with a video vehicle detection system are solved.
That means the signal will run through a programmed sequence that serves each leg for a fixed amount of time during each cycle regardless of the amount of traffic on that leg. The cycle remains the same, day or night.
MoDOT is making adjustments and monitoring operation of the detection system over the next four to six weeks.
MoDOT Traffic Engineer Joe Rickman urged drivers to be patient and obey the signal -- and not get frustrated and run a red light.
"Safety concerns are always our highest priority," Rickman said.
The cycle includes plenty of time for slow-moving vehicles on Route C and Route K to cross U.S. 60. Roads in the area carry much horse-and-buggy traffic going to and from nearby Amish communities.
Drivers on U.S. 60 should be prepared to stop at the intersection in Seymour even when no vehicles are waiting on Route C or Route K, said Traffic Operations Assistant Duffy Mooney, who is working with the detection system manufacturer and MoDOT signal technicians.
"We apologize for the inconvenience, but we would prefer to err on the side of caution," Mooney said.
Pay attention to the advance warning lights on U.S. 60, Mooney said. The red lights, 650 feet back from the interseciton, begin flashing several seconds before the signal changes to yellow.
The signal was installed in July 2003. To better detect the horse-and-buggy traffic, a video detection system was used instead of the traditional in-pavement detection loops.
