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The newly activated traffic signal at Highway 101 and Hilfiker Lane caused a little bit of chaos on South Broadway over the weekend, backing up traffic about a half-mile in either direction and sparking outrage in local Facebook groups.

The signal, which was activated by for the first time on Friday, malfunctioned for an hour or two Saturday, only allowing two or three Highway 101-bound vehicles to pass through the intersection at a time, as seen in the timelapse video above. Caltrans sent a crew out to adjust the green light intervals, and the signal was operating accordingly by late afternoon. 

“The signal sensitivity was adjusted on Saturday, and today Caltrans electrical staff made additional changes to the controller to safeguard the signal from displaying brief green light intervals,” Caltrans spokesperson Manuel Machado told the Outpost. “We’ll continue to monitor the location at Broadway and Hilfiker Lane.”

Machado added that the traffic signal is yet another component of the South Broadway Complete Streets Project, which aims to improve pedestrian safety and reduce collisions on Highway 101.

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