Peabody nears completion of traffic light installations

PEABODY – Residents and frequent travelers along Washington Street in Peabody are sure to be pleased with the city’s progress on the installation of new traffic lights.”It’s nearing completion,” said City Planner and the project’s manager, Nathan Jones. “There’s just a little work left.”For years, residents and commuters to and from the nearby Higgins Middle School and Peabody Police Station have expressed concern over traffic flow at the intersection of Allens Lane and Washington Street, said Jones. He said the new lights are expected to make quite an improvement to the area.The project has been in the works for just over a year, said Jones. It went through several phases, from running electrical wires underground and curb work to the installation of the lights themselves. All that’s left to do now is some last minute painting and cement work.”After that, we’ll just need to do some final inspections and make sure everything is all set, then coordinate with the police department, fire department and schools to get everything up and running,” said Jones. “The big key with this has been to conduct as much outreach as possible. That’s been done since the beginning of the project.”The new traffic lights feature turn arrows and corresponding freshly painted “turn only” lanes. Jones said that turning was the main reason the fixture was requested.Jones expects the project to finish up rather soon. He said that there will most likely be a special “kickoff” event with Mayor Michael Bonfanti to celebrate its completion, although a date has not yet been set.