Board weighs fixes to pedestrian detection and signal timing at Bailey Boswell and Basswood

Board staff presented an update on potential design changes at the East Bailey Boswell and Basswood intersection, focusing on a malfunctioning pedestrian-detection system and corridor-timing issues.

A staff member said the pedestrian-detection device "thinks it's being clicked every single signal time even though it's not," which has been prompting the side street to get green time more often and reducing the main corridor's capacity. Staff reported receiving one contractor quote to fix the pedestrian detection and awaiting a second for comparison; staff said the first quote seemed reasonable and that the budget could support the repair. The proposal from staff was to fix detection over the summer, observe school-year traffic patterns in the fall, and then reconsider whether a longer-term re-striping or signal-geometry modification would offer enough benefit to justify a $15,000–$20,000 modification.

Staff and traffic-signal specialists also discussed corridor timing: a regional council of governments (COG)–funded engineering effort is planning a timing plan for Bailey Boswell along the corridor including the Fort Worth segment. Board members favored fixing the pedestrian detection promptly and then reassessing lane-striping or timing changes after observing traffic with school in session.