Signal lights nightmare

• By SCOTT DYER AND CHANTE DIONNE WARREN
• Advocate staff writers
• Published: Sep 9, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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With more than 40 percent of the traffic signals still not operating in storm-ravaged East Baton Rouge Parish, Monday’s rush hours turned into a nightmare for thousands of commuters returning to work in the wake of Hurricane Gustav.

“It would take 400 officers to work traffic the way things are today,” Baton Rouge Police Chief LeDuff said.

LeDuff estimated that 30 to 40 of his officers were involved in some form of traffic control at different points Monday at intersections such as College Drive and Perkins Road.

The chief said the traffic situation was much worse than an LSU football game.

“The difference is that during an LSU game, we know where you want to go and we herd the traffic to get you there. In this situation, we have people going every which way to get to work or to the store or whatever,” LeDuff added.

Ingolf Partenheimer, city-parish chief traffic engineer, said 234 of East Baton Rouge’s 400 traffic signals were operating Monday afternoon. The parish has another 65 flashing signals, he said.

Partenheimer said city-parish officials were in the process Monday of hiring two contractors to reset the mastheads for the dozens of traffic signals knocked out by the storm.

The signals are designed to twist with the wind in severe weather and must be reset by crews with cranes before they can function even if power is restored, Partenheimer said. He said the contractors plan on running four crews to work on the signals.

Partenheimer said he expects to have most, if not all, of the signals operational by the end of the week, but noted that lack of power could still be a problem at some intersections.

Slow moving traffic in areas where stop lights remained inoperative Monday left some drivers frustrated.

Dan Swetman, 55, of Baton Rouge, spent his lunch break stuck on roadways where he often stopped at congested intersections.

“I’m fighting traffic here on Essen and Perkins and trying to get back to work on Government Street,” Swetman said.

Swetman pulled out of the long lines, gassed up and bought a soda and honey bun from Exxon Mobil On the Run gas station at Perkins Road and Essen Lane. “If you don’t have to be here on the roads, don’t be here,” he said.