Pelham previews AI-driven traffic signal upgrades, cites shorter wait times

The Pelham City Manager told the City Council on Nov. 17 that a multi-year program to upgrade traffic intersections and signals has delivered early improvements in travel time and safety.“This is driven by citizen priorities,” the City Manager said, adding that the system includes an AI component that “begins to read what our patterns are” and will improve as more data is collected.

Why it matters: The city is investing in signal technology to reduce delay and improve safety at congested locations. Early results, the manager said, show measurable decreases in average wait times at ramps near Interstate 65 and large gains where new systems were installed.

At the meeting the manager cited specific performance figures: the average wait time at the I‑65 north ramp fell from 26 seconds in September 2024 to 16 seconds, while the southbound ramp declined from 21 seconds to 15 seconds. The manager also said the share of drivers arriving on green increased by roughly 10 percent. For a separate installation at U.S. 31 and Chandelar Drive (installed in May 2025), the manager said the typical wait time for drivers arriving on red improved by about 43 seconds in the May–July measurement window.

Council members were briefed that the changes are incremental and that the system requires time to calibrate: “it’s not like when you get it 3 months later you’re immediately seeing huge benefits, but you do over time,” the City Manager said. The manager also said a fuller description will appear in the Pelham Pathway magazine in the coming weeks.

What’s next: City staff said they will continue to collect and analyze data as the system adapts to daily and weekly traffic patterns and will report further results to the council. No regulatory changes or new funding actions were proposed at the Nov. 17 meeting.

The council moved on to other agenda items after the briefing, and the meeting adjourned later the same evening.