During the Amarillo City Council meeting Tuesday, officials reviewed new findings on traffic signal timing and fatal crashes at intersections, following a request made by council members in April. The presentation, delivered by Public Works Director Alan Harder, examined crash data collected since January 2025 and evaluated whether current signal timing practices align with updated federal requirements and safety guidance.
Harder told the Amarillo City Council that municipalities are now required, as of last November, to comply with their state-adopted version of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. That manual governs standards for traffic signals, signage, and roadway markings across the United States and serves as a baseline for consistent traffic control practices.
A key focus of Harder’s report was how yellow light and red clearance intervals are calculated. He explained that the yellow light duration is designed to give drivers enough time either to safely stop before entering an intersection or to proceed through it before the signal turns red. The red clearance interval, he noted, is the brief period during which all signal lights at an intersection remain red, allowing any vehicle that entered during the yellow phase to fully clear the intersection before cross traffic is allowed to proceed.
Harder also noted that the city does not use the most recent recommended signal timing updates. These newer guidelines suggest reducing the red clearance interval by one second and calculating timing based on vehicles traveling seven miles per hour above the posted speed limit. Instead, the city continues to rely on older Federal Highway Administration guidance, which Harder described as more conservative. The Federal Highway Administration develops national roadway design and safety standards used by transportation agencies across the country.
Crash data presented at the meeting showed that since January 2025, there have been six fatal crashes at signalized intersections in Amarillo, resulting in eight deaths. Of those fatalities, three involved motorcyclists and five involved occupants of automobiles. Harder explained that multiple contributing factors were present across these incidents, rather than a single cause.
According to the report, speed played a role in three of the crashes, while alcohol was involved in one. Two crashes involved drivers disregarding stoplights entirely. Three crashes were attributed to failure to yield while making left turns. One incident involved a single vehicle leaving the roadway and striking a pole. In two cases, drivers ran red lights and collided with other vehicles.
One recent fatal crash at the intersection of Western and Mesa, which resulted in two deaths, was also discussed. Harder clarified that the crash did not occur directly within the intersection itself but approximately 100 feet north of it. In that case, one vehicle was traveling at speeds exceeding 80 miles per hour when it struck another vehicle. Despite the location being outside the direct intersection zone, city staff evaluated the area as part of their broader review.
Harder told council members that he personally rechecked the engineering calculations using Federal Highway Administration equations and found that all six intersections under review, as well as the Western and Mesa area, met current requirements. “I personally reran the calculations using the Federal Highway Administration equations and found that all six intersections, as well as Mesa and Western, meet the current requirements,” Harder said. “They were programmed correctly. They were previously calculated correctly, and are operating correctly; they’re operating as they should be. Now, as we do and we’ll continue, any intersection that is brought to our staff or myself, just like we did today, we will gladly go evaluate that.”
He also emphasized the scale of the city’s traffic infrastructure, noting that Amarillo maintains 277 signalized intersections. Each year, the traffic department reviews the 10 intersections with the highest crash rates in an effort to identify potential safety improvements and address recurring collision hotspots.
The presentation underscored both the complexity of traffic safety engineering and the multiple factors involved in fatal crashes, ranging from driver behavior to roadway design standards. While the data did not indicate systemic signal timing errors, city staff indicated they will continue evaluating intersections brought to their attention as part of ongoing safety efforts.
