Drivers in Licking County might have noticed something missing as they navigate State Route 16—the familiar "Prepare To Stop When Flashing" signs are no longer there. As reported by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The changes are part of a move to introduce a new radar-based system aimed at improving traffic safety, with traditional signs being phased out because they've reached the end of their service life.
Indeed, intersections where the old signs once stood, particularly at SR16 and Licking Valley Road, and SR16 and Marne Road, have been the sites of numerous crashes, with the former experiencing 37 crashes from 2019 to 2023 and the latter 21, some with injury outcomes, ODOT replaced these with advanced radar systems that measure the speed and distance of vehicles, these systems have been shown to reduce accident rates at intersections throughout the state, despite sometimes the green phase “maxes out”—a situation where the signal tries to find a gap for a safer transition but cannot due to heavy traffic.
The modified setups no longer rely on a driver's ability to respond to a blinking light that indicates the impending change from green to red. Instead, the radar-based detectors autonomously seek out breaks in traffic flows and adjust signal changes accordingly—the old system lacked such dynamic capabilities.
These technological advancements, according to the ODOT, are part of a longer-term strategy that has been rolling out for over a decade, systematically updating outdated hardware with the radar equipment that now stands guard at the majority of intersections overseen by the state department.
