Montgomery County transportation officials reported Nov. 5 that traffic lights were once again responding to computer signals. The synchronization came after two days where the county’s computer was unable to send signals to over 800 traffic lights in the area, significantly increasing the amount of traffic during rush hour.

Transportation officials expect that there will be normal amounts of traffic during rush hour on Friday. But, because they are unaware of how long the computers will remain functioning, like on Wednesday and Thursday, commuters will be able to ride for free on all RideOn buses in the county on Friday.

The computer originally broke down Nov. 4 at 3 a.m. Traffic lights continued to have power, but there was no way for the county to ensure the lights were switching at the right times.

During morning and evening rush hour, traffic lights remain green for a longer period of time to allow drivers to get to work and get home faster. But, while the computers were unable to send the signals, they ran more like they would on a Sunday morning – leaving thousands of people stuck in gridlock traffic.

The county is in their second of six years incorporating a new $35 million system for the traffic lights. The equipment is slowly being installed throughout the county to update the existing computers that’s approximately 20 years old.