What caused the traffic light at Harbor Drive and Crandon Boulevard on Key Biscayne not to function since Wednesday evening?

A simple — well, not so simple, actually — wire connection in the traffic control box, authorities say.

Village of Key Biscayne Public Works Director Chris Miranda told Islander News early Thursday afternoon that the light was functioning as normal.

“I must have seen six trucks (from the County) this morning; they came in full force,” he said.

The traffic light is vital at that intersection to allow vehicles coming off Commodore and Ocean Village, for example, access to cross. Village Police were directing vehicles to go to Calusa Circle and turn back.

“That was for traffic control, if anything,” Miranda said, “to keep the traffic flowing straight through Crandon, Harbor and Ocean Lane Drive, depending on where you were heading. If a car makes a right turn, and cars are coming straight through, it bottlenecks.”

Key Biscayne Police Chief Frank Sousa told Islander News Thursday the County rerouted traffic to prevent left turns.

The box on the southwest corner of the intersection was damaged, a spokesperson with The Traffic Signals & Signs Division at Miami-Dade County Transportation and Public Works told Islander News.

It’s possible that recent rains were the cause. Unfortunately, spare parts were not immediately available.

But, construction crews were on the scene Thursday morning making repairs and by early afternoon, reports were that the light was back operational.

The Traffic Signals & Signs Division is responsible for the operation and maintenance of nearly 3,000 traffic signals throughout Miami-Dade County.

The County’s traffic signals are operated and monitored from the Traffic Management Center (TMC) via an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS).

The original system was installed in 1975 and set the standard by which most computerized signal systems were installed throughout the country. In the 2000s, the County’s traffic signal control system was upgraded to an ATMS which provided additional tools that enabled county engineers to enhance vehicular traffic flow.