Cedar Rapids starts work on countywide fiber optic project

This week Cedar Rapids started work on the largest portion of the 130 mile fiber optic network called the Joint Communications Network.

The city is working with Linn County and the Cedar Rapids Community School District to connect 124 sites, including 42 school district locations, 67 city facilities and 15 county facilities, plus 242 traffic signal intersections in the metro area throughout this network.

This is good news for drivers, as city officials say it will likely help reduce big traffic headaches throughout Cedar Rapids.

“There are many intersections I drive through town and say ‘man, we've got to fix this intersection,f the timing is really rough'” said Ron Griffith, one of several traffic engineers involved in the project. Griffith says the fiber optic cable will allow information from traffic cameras and road sensors to get in the hands of engineers faster. This means faster response to accidents, back-ups and general five o'clock traffic jams.

“The video we get back will help us time the corridors and time the traffic,” said Griffith. “This will actually make us more efficient.”

Griffith says often times a traffic problem can be fixed from a computer. He says getting traffic data from an intersection faster will cut down on sending crews out to the area.

Anne Rizor has lived and driven in Cedar Rapids for the last eight years.

“It seems very congested everywhere,” she said. “Slow downs, always a lot of people ahead of you.” Rizor says she's excited to hear the city might be able to reduce the traffic jams.

But it comes with a price tag.

Linn County, Cedar Rapids and a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration are all helping cover the cost of the entire project which adds up to around $5 million.

The scheduled completion date will be near the end of spring 2012.