New technology installed to combat traffic in Lawrence County town

WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (KAIT) - Drivers in Lawrence County might notice something different while they’re out on the road.

Four new devices with camera and radar technology now sit at the intersection of Highway 63 and Highway 91 near Walnut Ridge.

The technology can detect the presence of a vehicle at the light, stop oncoming traffic, and change the signals.

ArDOT District 10 Engineer Brad Smithee said the devices are solely focused on traffic flow.

“Every component of the signal itself is there to control traffic and more efficiently allow the flow of traffic through the intersection,” he said.

Smithee explained this technology is the first of its kind in his district.

“It looks for the presence of another device out there. It uses video and radar, and it brings up that accuracy is the selling point of this system,” he said.

Smithee added that the radar capabilities are used to detect the presence of a vehicle at the light, not to measure speeds.

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