Malfunctioning Traffic Lights Cause Alarm Across Gary, Indiana
CHICAGO (CBS)--Malfunctioning traffic lights are causing alarm across Gary, Indiana.
At one intersection, a flashing traffic lights stays red--with no green or yellow changes.
The end of the school day at Daniel Hale Williams, school, crossing guards guide the students across the busy street, where the traffic signal has been out for as long as anyone can remember.
It's when the guards are done for the day that the non-working light becomes a safety threat because people have to make it across the intersection on their own.
Of the city's 93 traffic signals, nearly 25 are broken, meaning they either flash red or don't change at all.
It's unclear how many crashes have occurred at the intersections with broken lights. The Northern Indiana Department of Transportation only tracks a small section is city streets, and neither the police or city provided crash numbers today.
"This particular location is out because of the box," said Dave Shilling, a consultant hired by the city to assess the non-working traffic lights.
Dave Shilling is a consultant hired by the city to assess the problems with the lights.
Gary is in the midst of a government budget crisis, but Shilling says the city is allocating $900,000 to fix the lights over the next three years.
"We'll replace boxes and switches so they all work properly," Shilling said.
