A new set of traffic lights was recently activated at the intersection of Fowler and Olive avenues in southeast Fresno, which serves as an access point to Highway 180.
The poles and lights were installed 10 months prior to the signals being turned on, but they remained inactive until Oct. 1.
Previously, drivers had to navigate the intersection as a four-way stop, causing backups to traffic, especially during rush hour.
The county received complaints from residents about the regularly backed-up traffic in that area.
Now, Nancy Bocchini, co-owner of Hanks Swank Golf Course at the corner of Fowler and Olive, says traffic flows much smoother.
“It was bad,” Brocchini said. “But with the light, it’s nice. It’s easy now.”
Before the new traffic lights were activated, it was difficult for customers to get in and out of the parking lot during high traffic times, and fender benders were not uncommon, she said.
The new traffic lights at Fowler and Olive avenues in southeast Fresno were turned on Oct. 1 after years of planning.
Planning began in 2018
Planning for the $2.4 million project began in 2018, and state grants helped pay for the signal.
Though the intersection is in the City of Fresno’s sphere of influence, the county identified the need for signals at that location and took the lead on the project, Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig told The Fresno Bee.
Finding the funding, obtaining the land, securing rights of way and purchasing equipment all added to the cost and the time it took to add the stoplights, Magsig said. Land was purchased from four different property owners for the project.
Although the county was responsible for installing the stoplights, the city is responsible for maintaining the signals, and the county had to build to city standards.
There are additional intersections in southeast Fresno that are in need of development, Magsig said, and the county has plans to make future improvements.
“This was one signal that needed this signalization, but there’s more work to be done,” he said.
Fresno is the deadliest place for intersection violations and red light running in California, according to a new report.
Released this week by Streets Are For Everyone, the report found that between 2021 and 2023, 55 people were killed and 153 were seriously injured in Fresno County from intersection violations, averaging 18 deaths and 51 injuries per year.
The data shows that Fresno County has the highest per capita rate of deaths and serious injuries from intersection violations and red light running among the state’s large counties, according to the report.
Highway 180 east was expanded more than a decade ago.
“That intersection should have been part of that project, but it never was,” Magsig said.
The new traffic lights at Fowler and Olive avenues in southeast Fresno were activated on Oct. 1 after years of planning.