With over 550,000 residents Fresno is the fifth-largest city in California, but it’s nowhere near as glamorous as most other large California towns despite having a double speedbump that launches cars in the air. It’s an integral U.S. agricultural hub with nearly 2 million acres of farmland, so it has a unique mix of urban, suburban, and rural communities. That also means it’s supremely car-centric, and its residents rely heavily on highways, but entering those highways can take a while. Inoperable traffic lights sat taunting frustrated commuters for 10 months at a busy four-way intersection leading onto Highway 180, but the city finally activated the signal earlier this month, and it only cost the city $2.4 million.
Temporary stop signs caused significant delays at the intersection of Fowler and Olive avenues over the 10 months that the traffic signals sat covered with black plastic. According to GVWire, county records show preliminary engineering authorization for these traffic signals started seven years ago in 2018. A traffic signal installation just 1.5 miles away took just three months from marking the ground to activation.
Various challenges delayed the activation of the signals
Planning for the installation of this traffic signal took years because the county had to acquire the land, secure rights of way, purchase equipment, and remove trees; all of which added to the eye-watering price. According to GVWire, “Although the signal was a county project, the city of Fresno needed to give its final sign off, and the county had to build to city standards. The land is within the city’s sphere of influence — meaning it could eventually be annexed — so the city will maintain the signal.”
State grants helped pay for the signal, but Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig, who represents the area, said planning should have started proactively over a decade ago when Highway 180 expanded eastward.
The reason that the nearby traffic light took just three months to install rather than the seven years it took for the signal at Fowler and Olive avenues comes down to zoning. The $2.4 million signal was a county project that had to be built to the standards of the city of Fresno, which also needed to sign off on the job. The city of Fresno will maintain the signal moving forward, and traffic at the intersection has already subsided.
