Poe and Main light back at work – a bit of good road construction news

By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN

BG Independent News

Finally, something has gone right for Bowling Green and its increasing clogs of road construction.

The traffic light at North Main and Poe roads is functioning – after fears that it might have been out of service for weeks after a car crash took out the traffic light control panel on Tuesday morning.

As of early this afternoon, the light is back.

“This is good news,” Assistant Municipal Administrator Joe Fawcett said. “It’s gone from a four-way stop to functioning as it was before.”

The city’s electric division spent long hours Tuesday and early this morning trying to program a replacement computer control box. But to no avail, Fawcett said.

So crews located another control box and gave that a try – with success.

The custom built control boxes cost about $100,000 each, so the city does not have spares on hand, Fawcett explained on Tuesday. It was feared the intersection may have had to function as a four-way stop for weeks until a control box was located that would work.

“The city appreciates the public’s patience and understanding,” Fawcett said.

This is the year of heavy road construction in Bowling Green – with East Wooster Street at Interstate 75 torn up for roundabout construction, and Main Street torn up in the downtown for water and sewer work.

Twice last week, construction had to stop downtown after a waterline was struck one day, and a natural gas line the next day.