As Athens residents driving through the intersection of Union Street and State Route 682 today will notice, left-turn lights have been added to the traffic signals on West Union Street and state Route 56.
The left-turn lights were added to alleviate congestion in the area, said Athens Street Department Director Andy Stone.
The lights were installed last night and the arrows give the first few drivers a chance to turn left, he said. Each road leading up to the intersection, which is near the Sunoco gas station, has two lanes.
Stone said adding the turn lights is a relatively inexpensive way to help ease the traffic problem. The operation cost $3,000.
In the future, the city would like to make all of the roads three lanes, adding a left-turn lane for each direction. This could happen in a few years and would depend on the city's financial status and whether the department receives money from grants, Stone said.
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Janet Nester
