Pinellas County officials are hoping you’ll see more green the next time you’re driving along their highways thanks to a new technology called smart traffic signals. 

And Commissioner Karen Seel has been instrumental in making Pinellas County smart. The Commissioner helped persuade legislators to pass the one-cent gas tax to partially fund the Advanced Traffic Management System and smart traffic signals.  These smart signals can be automatically changed by a traffic flow specialist to stay green longer in response to real time road conditions.  The goal is to ease jam-ups. 

With this technology, drivers are also alerted of incidents and closures on variable message boards.

Currently the smart traffic signals are up and running in Northern Pinellas County including along us 19, Mcmullen Booth Road and Gulf to Bay Boulevard.  When the entire 85 million dollar project is complete by 2015, over 200 cameras will make more than 450 signals smart through St. Pete up to the Pasco County Line.

And Commissioner Seel also noted that information received from the cameras will be used for traffic control purposes only and not law enforcement.  For more information on the smart traffic signals, visit Pinellas County’s website at http://www.pinellascounty.org.  You can also view the cameras live on Pinellas TV 18 during the 7am and 4pm hours.