Workers will shroud familiar traffic lights and unveil new stop signs Monday as the result of a recent study of traffic patterns on post.
Down the road, drivers also may expect new turn lanes and speed limits -- although there's no timetable on those.
"Our intersections and our (signage is) not set up properly," said Matt Shealy, chief of the engineering division of the Directorate of Public Works. Some of the electronic "loops" that detect traffic are broken or paved over, and equipment that guides the timing of lights is antiquated, he said.
That means people may be sitting too long at lights, becoming irritated by the dearth of cross traffic.
"People get all spun up about how long they sit at traffic lights," Shealy said. "Everyone has their own opinion for how long they should sit (there).
"We feel a sense of urgency" about soothing people's irritation.
Gannett Fleming Engineering Consultants of Harrisburg, Pa., conducted the traffic study in November 2014, as requested by DPW. Following study recommendations will bring Fort Jackson's roads in line with nationwide industry standards.
The traffic study consisted of "counting cars and drawing some conclusions based on industry standards" -- standards that insure that traffic on post runs like traffic off post.
Surveyors performed car counts in real time. That is, surveyors stood on street corners throughout post, counting such things as left turns at peak times. That "eyes on" approach tells engineers more than simple, mechanized traffic counts.
DPW will make and install some of the new signs and repaint traffic lane markings. The removed digital traffic lights will be laid aside to be cannibalized for spare parts.
By the time the surveyors issue their final report in June, DPW will have an institutional leg up on recommended improvements.
Other improvements will be longer in coming, subject to approval and availability of financing.
One multi-phase recommendation suggests re-engineering several intersections to add turn lanes or traffic circles, improve geometry or make things safer for pedestrians.
When it comes to installing turn lanes, the focus is on the highly traveled Strom Thurmond Boulevard -- the road most used by workers on post, as well as those attending graduation ceremonies.
Another recommendation is that speed limits be increased or decreased 5 mph in several locations. Surveyors arrived at those recommendations by observing whether drivers adhered to current limits.
Simply put, when a speed limit rises, scofflaws eventually win.
"You're putting your faith in (the fact) that most people will drive with courtesy and common sense," even though they're breaching the existing speed limit, Shealy said. To recommend a new -- sometimes higher -- limit, surveyors throw out the fastest and lowest recorded speeds and hone in on the middle, banking on that common sense.
Lt. Col. Ray Stuhn, director of the emergency services, sees no difficulty in enforcing the new limits.
"(They're) right in the ballpark of where they need to be," he said -- especially the recommendation for a raise to 40 mph at Semmes Lake. The old limit of 35 mph is "way too slow."
*Traffic lights will be removed and stop signs unveiled at the following five
intersections May 4 as the result of traffic-survey recommendations. Road
stripes and arrows will be repainted, and new signs will warn of stops
and/or pedestrian crossings ahead.
--Jackson and Hill: two-way stops on Hill Street. Jackson Boulevard traffic
will not stop.
--Lee and Hill: two-way stops on Hill Street. Lee Road traffic will not
stop.
--Lee and Semmes: two-way stops on Semmes Road. Lee Road traffic will not
stop.
--Marion and Semmes: stop sign at Semmes Road. Marion Avenue traffic will
not stop.
--Marion and Washington/Anderson: two-way stops on Washington Road and
Anderson Street will be added. Marion Avenue traffic will not stop.
*The survey also recommends:
--adding a southbound right-turn lane at Strom Thurmond Boulevard and Lee
Road, and an eastbound lane at Strom Thurmond and Jackson Boulevard.
--re-engineering Strom Thurmond at Magruder Boulevard to allow for easier
turns.
--adding a roundabout at Lee and Hartsville Guard roads.
--adding traffic signals at Chestnut and Hartsville Guard roads.
--adding a roundabout at Dixie Road and Hampton Parkway.
--realigning the intersection of Dixie and Boyden Arbor roads to improve its
geometry.
*It also recommends replacing signs, and relaying turn and crosswalk markings
because they are old or faded, and making several areas easier for
pedestrians to negotiate.
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