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Date: 8/9/2023
LONGMEADOW — Longmeadow has received a public safety grant for $192,400 to fund traffic cameras for Converse Street and radar message signs. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is funding the grant as part of efforts to mitigate traffic issues related to the MGM Springfield casino.
“Longmeadow is finally getting up to speed with technology,” said Longmeadow Police Capt. Carl Mazzaferro, who applied for the grant.
The grant will fund the second phase of work to outfit major intersections with traffic cameras and the fiber optic infrastructure needed to connect them. The first grant-funded phase saw cameras installed at Forest Glen Road and Longmeadow Street. The Converse Street intersections with Dwight Road, Longmeadow Street, Dickinson Street and Laurel Street will be addressed with the latest funding.
Another camera, known as a side street camera detection system, will be installed at the T-shaped intersection of Longmeadow Street and Edgewood Avenue. There is no sensor at this intersection to trigger the traffic light to change when traffic approaches the main thoroughfare. The camera can be programmed to perform this function and limit backups at the traffic light.
However, these devices would be useless without the infrastructure to carry the data. Mazzaferro said,
“The town is lacking fiber.” Once the fiber optic lines are installed, “the cameras will go up. That’s part of this grant … closing the fiber loop.”
Six SpeedAlert automated radar signs are also being purchased with the funding. The signs alert drivers if they are exceeding the posted speed limit. Mazzaferro said the goal of the signs is to “provide that education to the operator.” The devices also provide real-time data of traffic conditions. This helps both emergency services and the DPW monitor potential traffic issues.
“Converse is definitely a street that needs [traffic monitoring devices],” Mazzaferro said.
The next phase of traffic cameras depends on future grant funding, but Mazzaferro said the southern end of town would receive any subsequent cameras.