Installation of Longview WA traffic cameras begins Monday

Related: Red-light camera plan proceeds on 6-1 council vote
Starting Monday, workers under contract with camera vendor American Traffic Solutions will begin installing red-light cameras at three Longview intersections: Ocean Beach Highway and 15th Avenue, Ocean Beach Highway and NW Nichols Boulevard, and Ocean Beach Highway and 38th Avenue.

The Longview City Council agreed to try out the cameras in a pilot program that expires May 1, 2012, after which it wants city staff to determine what kind of effect the cameras had on motorists' behavior.

The work at each intersection will involve installing equipment, foundations, poles and speed sensors and connecting the electronics to traffic signals and power, Longview Public Works Director Jeff Cameron said Thursday. Construction hours will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with lane closures between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Parts of the job will be performed after 8 p.m. to minimize traffic disruptions, Cameron said.

The installation is expected to be finished by Dec. 31. On Jan. 1, the cameras will begin photographing the license plates of vehicles that enter the intersections after the light turns red. For the first 30 days, violators will receive a warning notice by mail. On Feb. 1, ATS will begin issuing $124 tickets, Cameron said.

After the red-light cameras are in place, speed cameras will be installed in the Mint Valley Elementary school zone on 38th Avenue and in the Columbia Valley Gardens Elementary school zone on 30th Avenue. Facing in both directions, the two cameras in each school zone will be turned on Feb. 1, when the 30-day warning period goes into effect. (See box for ticket fines). The operation start date could be a week or two sooner, if installation goes more quickly than expected, Cameron said.

The city of Longview approved a one-year contract with ATS, a company based in Scottsdale, Ariz., in late August. Cameron said ATS set up cameras at nine major intersections earlier this fall, monitored red-light running by video and recommended four intersections for the camera program. The city decided not to put a camera at one recommended site, Washington Way at Nichols Boulevard, because it would involve installing equipment in Lake Sacajawea Park, which is a historic district.

"We chose not to deal with that for a pilot program," Cameron said.

ATS also recommended specific legs of the intersections for cameras. At 15th Avenue and at NW Nichols Boulevard, only the Ocean Beach Highway approaches will have cameras. Cameras will be installed at all four approaches at 38th Avenue and Ocean Beach Highway.

The cost per approach is $4,750 a month, which covers the traffic study and equipment installation. With 12 automated traffic safety cameras online (including the school zone cameras), the city will be paying ATS $57,000 a month. In addition, the city is responsible for buying advance warning signs the state requires for all approaches with cameras, but Cameron doesn't know yet how much those would cost.

According to ATS, ticket revenues will more than cover the cost of the camera rental. If they don't, ATS will move the cameras to another intersection and later collect the money the city owes as it's generated at the new site.

At the City Council's insistence, fines will be deposited into a special fund that may be used only to cover the camera program's costs and unrelated traffic safety programs.

Red-light cameras will be installed in Longview at:

•Ocean Beach Highway and 15th Avenue
•Ocean Beach Highway and NW Nichols Boulevard
•Ocean Beach Highway and 38th Avenue
Fine per violation: $124

School zone speed cameras will be installed in Longview at:

•Mint Valley Elementary on 38th Avenue
•Columbia Valley Gardens Elementary on 30th Avenue
The speed limit in school zones is 20 mph.

Speeding Fines:

•21 to 30 mph: $124
•31-35 mph: $144
•36-40 mph: $184
•41-45 mph: $244
•46+ mph: $250