LORDSTOWN Camera helps to give green light to trucks near the GM complex

Lordstown is one of the first Northeast Ohio communities to use the technology.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LORDSTOWN -- Smile for the camera.
A new intersection near the General Motors Co. complex on Hallock-Young Road features some new high-tech equipment to make travel easier.
The Iteris Vantage Plus camera perched atop the intersection views when vehicles -- particularly tractor-trailers -- are trying to make their way from the side access road out of the complex and back onto the main road.
"The camera determines when a vehicle has approached the intersection, and sets the lights in motion for side traffic to get through," said Cliff Connelly, a representative from Baldwin & amp; Sours in Columbus, which supplied the technology. "It's all very state-of-the-art."
Lordstown is one of the first communities in Northeast Ohio to use the new technology, he said. Warren is set to install the cameras in at least one intersection later this year, he added.
Replacing pavement sensors
Connelly said the technology is designed to function the same way sensors in the pavement do, but with some added benefits. One of the biggest, he said, is maintenance.
Previously, main roads that had only limited traffic entering from side streets would use wires installed underneath the pavement to detect when a vehicle was approaching, he said. This is the most common type of sensor technology, Connelly added.
But those wires would often break, especially in this area, where harsh winters would cause the pavement to crack and break.
"That's a major disadvantage," he said. "Especially in an area where you have a lot of heavy truck traffic, like GM."
To replace broken wires, he said, usually meant at least four hours of digging up pavement, replacing the wires and fixing the road. Now, workers can easily reach the equipment, which is designed to withstand extreme temperatures and other elements, Connelly said.
Not to catch violators
One of the biggest misconceptions about the cameras, he said, is that they are there to catch speeders and red-light violators on film, Connelly said. For now, they will be used only to detect approaching traffic, though the videotaping features could be added later.
Street Commissioner George Ebling said the village will maintain the equipment, though GM administrators paid for the new technology. The creation of the intersection was one portion of the complex upgrade in connection with the new line of Cobalt cars that will be manufactured at the site.
With a cost of about $80,000 to $90,000 per intersection, the cameras are comparable in price to installing wires underneath the pavement, Connelly said.
"It's a tradeoff for the cost, but these are much more reliable," he said.
slshaulis@vindy.com