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Spring Hill staff detail traffic-signal failures and morning congestion at Buckner Lane after school start
Summary
City staff and contractors described a sequence of timing, wiring and signage problems at Buckner Lane signals that produced confusion, near collisions and heavy school-period congestion; contractors will provide temporary officers and stripe a left-turn lane while staff continue troubleshooting.
Spring Hill city staff and contractors told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Monday that a recently installed traffic-signal system on Buckner Lane malfunctioned after schools started, producing significant morning and afternoon congestion and at least one reported crash.
City staff outlined why the corridor has not performed as expected since the contractor, Jones Brothers, placed the signals into service. Mr. Scroggins, a city staff member leading the department report, said Jones Brothers initially put the signals in flash mode as required by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and installed timing plans that could not be fully tested until school traffic returned. He described a timeline of lane-shift confusion, inadequate markings and a “retraining” period for motorists after travel lanes changed.
The city reported multiple operational problems after the signals were activated. Stansell Electric, the trade partner for Jones Brothers, responded repeatedly to wiring issues: on Monday wiring malfunctions prevented the signals from operating in full mode; later a miswired pedestrian push-button caused all lights to revert to flash mode when pressed. The city deactivated those pedestrian buttons and continued adjusting timing plans.
“We are actively working. We know it is a nightmare,” Mr. Scroggins said, acknowledging the disruption to drivers and school traffic. He said city staff monitored the corridor over several days, made signage and marking changes, added barrels and arrows, and coordinated with Williamson County Schools and school principals to refine timing.
Tyler Bolden, a city staff member involved in signal timing, outlined temporary operational steps the staff will take in the near term. “Mister Bolden and I will be there 6, 06:15 in the morning ahead of traffic, basically sitting at the box, adjusting as traffic comes at us,” Bolden said, describing planned early-morning manual adjustments and monitoring.
Because pedestrian push-buttons were not functioning reliably, Jones Brothers agreed to hire two officers at the company’s expense to direct traffic and help children cross at the affected intersections during morning and afternoon peak periods. Jones Brothers also plans to place striping for a new left-turn lane northbound onto Stewart Campbell to reduce northbound stacking; the striping was scheduled for the following day or Thursday, city staff said.
City staff said they are also using drones to capture footage of the corridor and will continue coordination with Williamson County Schools to communicate changes on social media. Chief Bright provided daily checks of incident reports and told staff there was one collision believed to have occurred when a driver pulled past a stop bar.
The city did not adopt a formal policy or new ordinance; staff described ongoing operational troubleshooting and short-term mitigations. No timeline was given for final signal-timing acceptance. City officials asked residents to follow signage and guidance while staff and the contractor continue adjustments.
