News Photo by Torianna Marasco The sun sets behind houses near the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Bagley Street/Hobbs Drive.

ALPENA — Another change to the intersection at 3rd Avenue and Hobbs Drive/Bagley Street could be in the cards.

At its meeting tonight, the Alpena Municipal Council is expected to vote to issue a traffic change order so that right turns will not be allowed when the light is red.

The city has already taken steps to make the intersection safer for motorists and pedestrians because, over the years, the intersection near Alpena High School and Thunder Bay Junior High School has seen many crashes, some involving school buses. And, in 2021, a student was struck by a vehicle while walking to school.

If the traffic change is approved by the council, signs will be erected and the new driving rule implemented sometime this week, Mayor Cindy Johnson said.

Late this summer, new lights were added to the intersection to improve visibility for motorists and pedestrians. Also, new traffic lights that include left turn signals were implemented, and an increase in the duration of time a light remains green during peak traffic periods was programmed into the system.

The traffic light can also be programmed to halt all traffic so pedestrians can utilize the four crosswalks at the intersection at any one time.

Motorists in Alpena are still learning how to navigate the new traffic light system at the intersection and some have become frustrated that it takes too long to pass through the light. A change to enforce no-turn-on-red could slow traffic a tad more.

Johnson said people need to be patient and follow the traffic signals to avoid further wrecks or injuries. She said the city, its contractor, and police will continue to watch the intersection and more modifications could be implemented if needed.

“This is being done for public safety,” Johnson said. “We’ll continue to monitor it and our contractor can monitor the intersection in real time from where they are and make any changes that are needed. People just need to be patient.”

In a press release on Jan. 9, the city said that when the intersection was designed and constructed, it was done so before the junior high school was built. It was not originally designed for the traffic load it receives now because of the increased traffic before and after school.

The new system has a safe passing feature designed to allow vehicles to safely navigate through the intersection and traffic in the area. It also increases the wait time to ensure traffic can clear.

Some people questioned why the green light only stays on for 10 seconds and why it isn’t longer. The city said that is on par with most similar traffic lights and adding time would cause more traffic congestion in the area.

“While this may seem to be a short duration, it is standard for most traffic signals,” the press release said. “Any extension of timing on this leg would increase wait times on the other segments and would cause further traffic backups in the area.”

The city also asked people not to call 911 or ask local police to utilize an officer to direct traffic if traffic backups occur.

“The overall goal of installing the new traffic light is pedestrian safety and was not intended to shorten commute times,” the press release said.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.