With all of the shopping frenzy comes the traffic jams and fender benders.

Engineers with the Springfield Traffic Management Center say it looks like there was more traffic this yea than last year, which it says is a good thing for the economy. 
   
Every holiday season MODOT and the City of Springfield team up to enact their special timing plans, so that you can get to where you need to go in a reasonable amount of time. More importantly engineers say the traffic timing plans will hopefully make your drive safer.

The fender benders and frantic turns are a little more common this time of year. "It's a little congested in certain areas," explains one Springfield driver. The shopping centers are also jam packed with people trying to park. "It stinks, it stinks really bad but that's life," says another Springfield driver.

The wait could be worse if it weren't for engineers using the eyes in the sky. "We monitor the streets in the city the main arterial streets and we have some cameras on the freeway system," explains Roger Lile, Springfield Traffic Engineer.

Lile runs special timing plans around the shopping areas in order to handle the larger volumes of traffic better. "The only major thing we saw is people would pull out in the intersection at Glenstone and Primrose and block it," adds Lile.

Engineers also urge drivers to pay more attention in the parking lots, slow down and use your traffic signal. Operators will also watch for accidents and update police with info along with traveler information.

"During rush hour we have people going one direction and on a day like today we have heavy traffic both ways," adds Lile.

 And while some still think it all stinks, most people say they can tell the extra support from this control room is helping.

"We went to Sams Club and so far so good we were just commenting on that," adds another Springfield driver.

The city says this time next year, it hopes it will be operating out of a new transportation center, so operations should be even better. The  city is taking bids right now on the new center.

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