MANKATO – Motorists traveling on Highway 15 in Fairmont and US Highways 14 and 15 in New Ulm should expect to experience a change in traffic patterns starting May 23.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will be testing and revising the timing of 15 traffic signal systems to improve safety and reduce delay along these highways.

“Motorists will need to pay closer attention at the signals, as the timing and sequencing may not be what they are used to,” said Scott Thompson, district traffic engineer.

When making a left turn at certain intersections, drivers might find that the green left turn arrow appears at a different time in the cycle. The times of day when the flashing yellow arrow is used will also be updated to best fit the traffic volumes throughout the day.

These traffic signal timing updates are part of a larger effort to reduce delays for motorists like what took place on Highway 169 in St. Peter and Highways 22 and 169 in Mankato.

Nationally, updating traffic signal timing has been shown to reduce traffic delay by 15-40 percent, reduce travel times by up to 25 percent, and has a benefit to cost ratio that can exceed 50:1. Similar results were also realized with the St. Peter and Mankato signal retiming efforts.

When the adjustments are finalized, motorists will benefit from reduced delays, stops, fuel usage, emissions, and vehicle wear and tear.

 For real-time traffic and travel information in Minnesota, visit 511mn.org, get the free smartphone app, follow us MnDOT District 7 on Twitter or MnDOT South Central Minnesota Facebook Group.

(Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.)