Photo by Chaita_1

D.C. has consistently ranked among the worst cities for traffic congestion in the country. Metro’s SafeTrack plan surely isn’t going to make that better. But coinciding with the launch of the year-long maintenance push on Friday, DDOT is retiming traffic signals at 386 intersections in Northwest.

The area’s boundaries include Canal Road to the west, North Capitol to the east, Eastern and Western Avenues to the north, and Florida Avenue to the south, according to a release. The changes are part of a citywide “signal optimization initiative” that began in 2012.

According to engineers, two other phases of signal time changes have reduced traffic delays by up to 30 percent. DDOT completed the most recent stage last year, which included nearly 650 downtown intersections.

Along with improving traffic flow, DDOT wants to optimize pedestrians crossing times, reduce vehicle travel times, and lower emissions and fuel consumption. While the plan was initially slated to be completed by the end of this year, the department now says that the city’s entire traffic signal network, which includes 1,650 signals, will be in sync by early next year.