By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Traffic signals at the intersection of U.S. 31 and Old U.S. 31 are now operational after crews with the Stone and Sons contractor company finished installing and calibrating them on May 11.

The lights have been flashing for the past few weeks to acclimate drivers to the new signals, which were installed to help cut down on the number of wrecks at the intersection.

The intersection has been the scene of several wrecks over the past several years. Old U.S. 31 is a two-lane road, and U.S. 31 is a four lane divided highway at the intersection, which is slightly south of the Colonial Promenade shopping center.

The Alabaster City Council previously approved up to $15,000 to install the signals.

The signals use cameras installed on top of the light poles to determine how to route traffic, said Alabaster City Administrator George Henry.

The city is planning to extend Fulton Springs Road between Old U.S. 31 and U.S. 31 in preparation for the upcoming Alabaster Exchange shopping center. Once Fulton Springs Road is extended, the city likely will move the traffic signal from the U.S. 31-Old U.S. 31 intersection to the U.S. 31-Fulton Springs Road intersection, said Ward 6 Councilman Scott Brakefield.