The City of Marathon has installed a temporary traffic light to replace stop signs managing the single-lane flow of traffic over Coco Plum Bridge. The traffic light alternates traffic in two directions – coming from Overseas Highway and from the Coco Plum neighborhood – over the one-lane span.
“The most a motorist should wait would be between 21 to 60 seconds,” said public works director Carlos Solis.
Since the lights were installed, the timing is being tweaked to address excessive delays in either direction. The adjustments should address any issues encountered in the first few days since the installation.
Solis said the traffic light is an extra precaution for motorists and contractors as the construction will begin on the replacement of the bridge soon, most likely before the end of November. “It will be safer for the public and safer for the contractors who will be physically present,” he said.
In April, the City of Marathon secured just over $1 million from a federal fund to replace Coco Plum Bridge, when it was determined that repair was not feasible. The federal funding means the city will be able to replace the bridge immediately, rather than make temporary fixes while waiting for years-long funding cycles from the state Department of Transportation.
The repairs are made possible by the $350 billion American Rescue Plan of 2021 (ARPA). After distributions to the states, approximately $130 billion is divided between cities and counties.
Eligible uses of the funds include revenue replacement for government services affected by the COVID-19 health emergency such as pay for essential municipal employees and – as is the case for the bridge – investments in infrastructure.
The City of Marathon hopes to complete the reconstruction by the end of 2022.
