Changes may be coming to traffic lights in a city near Edmonton

A city just outside of Edmonton is looking into whether it wants to make changes to how some of its traffic lights operate.

The City of Spruce Grove announced yesterday that a traffic signal optimization program along Highway 16A and Jennifer Heil Way will be brought forward for Spruce Grove City Council’s consideration as part of the Spring Budget Adjustment (SBA). 

During a Feb. 9 meeting, Council received an update on a pilot project that used technology from a company called NoTraffic to gather traffic data along Jennifer Heil Way at the intersections of Grove Drive and Hawthorne Gate.  

Data from the pilot project, which began in April 2025 and ran until New Year’s Eve, provided valuable insight on areas including driver behaviour, traffic flow and volumes, corridor efficiency, and signal coordination. 

With the scope of the pilot limited to proof of detection and feature demonstration, rather than full signal optimization, key objectives included:

Validating detection accuracy at the two intersections.
Assessing the quality and usability of traffic and safety data outputs.
Demonstrating system features such as conflict alerts, near-miss reporting, and event
logging.
Establishing a baseline understanding of how AI detection could integrate with Spruce
Grove’s existing traffic management systems and framework.

Preliminary findings confirmed that the system successfully identified multiple modes of travel and generated usable volume and safety data. While optimization was not part of this trial, the pilot provided valuable insight into detection reliability and the potential role of AI-based platforms in supporting future signal management strategies.

Based on the results of the pilot project, the Administration is recommending the implementation of NoTraffic’s AI-based signal optimization along Highway 16A and Jennifer Heil Way to help improve corridor efficiency and traffic light synchronization, reduce travel times and traffic congestion, and enhance safety. 

Following the update, Council agreed to direct Administration to bring forward NoTraffic’s AI-based signal optimization along the corridors of Highway 16A and Jennifer Heil Way for their consideration as part of the upcoming SBA. The intent is for the program to be fully funded through capital reserves pending the SBA process and approval. 

Additionally, City Administration will enter further negotiations with NoTraffic to pilot the rail pre-emption module at the intersection of Highway 16A and Century Road, as well as bring back a report on piloting the use of other AI-based signal optimization companies other than NoTraffic in other parts of the City, if applicable. 

Pending approval, the signal optimization will be installed at 12 intersections along Highway 16A and Jennifer Heil Way. 

Additional information and updates will be shared with the community at that time. The 2027-2029 Budget and Fiscal Plan may include further installations pending successful implementation and use of the NoTraffic system.