Derby To Equip Ambulances With Traffic Light Sensors

The deck replacement of the Route 34 bridge isn’t just a headache for motorists, it has also been hampering ambulance service in the city.

The replacement of the Atwater Bridge has become our headache,” David Lenart said during an Aldermen’s meeting June 26 in Derby City Hall.

Lenart is a Second Ward Alderman and is the chief of the Derby Storm Ambulance and Rescue Corps.

The $8.8 million state Department of Transportation project on the Atwater Bridge near Home Depot in Derby is not expected to be finished until November 2016. The Valley Indy’s Facebook page has been packed with people complaining that the project has been paralyzing traffic.

Lenart concurred, pointing out the bridge divides east and west Derby, and that ambulances constantly use it to bring patients to Griffin Hospital.

We’re having a very difficult time, obviously, being cordoned on this side of town, making it to the other side of town, then, coming back,” Lenart said.

The root problem — the Storms’ two ambulances and its rescue truck are not equipped with Opticom systems.

The devices allow emergency vehicles to manipulate traffic signals so they can pass safely through intersections while responding to calls.

Ultimately the Board of Aldermen voted to modify its capital plan in order purchase an Opticom system and have it installed for $6,411. The money will come from the state, via LoCIP” funds.

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