Twin Falls Half Million Dollar Traffic Light is in Service

We joked about the cost a few months ago.  The new traffic light at Falls Avenue and Madrona Street in Twin Falls has been operating about a week.  It was a long delayed project because of shortages.  Supply chains have been disrupted since the so called pandemic roared through the country in early 2020.  You can still see this as a consumer when you’re shopping for some once familiar goods.

Construction supplies have been greatly impacted.  The traffic light project had been off to a quick start and then stalled.  Then when it again got the “green light” it didn’t take long to finish.  At a cost of one-half million dollars!  You’re not reading that wrong.  $500,000!  Yet, you’re not going to pay for it in your property taxes.  The money came out of impact fees.  Paid for by the rapid development of new neighborhoods in and around the city.

There are several more intersections I believe could use a traffic signal.  Usually, a four-way stop sign works in most cases.  The city will study an intersection for traffic patterns before making a determination on a new light.  Just keep in mind, the going price tag on six new intersections with lights would be a whopping three million dollars.

With the rapid growth we’ve seen, it could be very likely there’s going to be a need for more lights.  If growth continues at the current pace for another decade, you could see a couple of dozen intersections with a need for traffic upgrades.