City Councilors will begin consideration today of a plan to reduce the number of traffic signals downtown, said Mike Stewart, public works director.

They also will consider making some one-way streets open to traffic in both directions and creating better traffic control for southbound vehicles turning left onto Callahan Street.

Stewart will take his recommendations to the Council’s finance committee meeting at 4 p.m. today.

The traffic changes were recommended in a study by Traffic Engineering Consultants, Stewart said. He said he will present the findings to the Council and seek their input. Public input also will be sought.

The intersections studied included several on Okmulgee Avenue, Columbus Avenue, Court Street and Broadway from Cherokee to Seventh Street.

None of the changes recommended by the study are likely to occur immediately, Stewart said. It could be two years before some of them are implemented.

The city needs to take a hard look at removing several traffic signals in the area, Stewart said.

Much of the equipment is old and new lights will cost $75,000 to $100,000 per intersection to replace, Stewart said.

The lights at Fourth and Court Streets have been out of service for a couple of weeks and crews have replaced wiring to them, but they still don’t work, Stewart said.

It might be more time efficient, as well as more economical, to permanently replace the lights with the stop signs like the ones now at the intersection, he said.

Traffic generally is light enough at the intersection that traffic moves more freely when there is not a red light to wait on, he said.

Another suggestion is that a left turn signal light be installed on Main Street to allow traffic to turn on an arrow onto Callahan. Now, traffic must yield on green.

Stewart said he is considering a system that would cost about $200,000 that would be activated if a train were on the tracks. That is what prompts most drivers to try to turn at the intersection.

The system would likely require a traffic light be re-installed at the east end of the viaduct as well, he said.

The city also needs to take a look at making the one-way streets downtown into two-way streets, Stewart said. That cannot happen until a new streetscape program removes the islands that jut out at intersections because the lanes are too narrow.

Reach Liz McMahan at 684-2926 or lmcmahan@muskogeephoenix.com.