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State expects traffic signals to work Jan. 1, but in case... Wire and staff reports SALEM -- The 2,500 traffic lights around Oregon still will turn green, yellow and red after the start of the new century, transportation officials predicted Monday. And even if there are Y2K computer glitches, 11 movable highway bridges at key locations around the state will continue to function, they said. Still, those officials and the Oregon State Police said motorists need to prepare for potential traffic disruptions during the New Year's weekend that could leave them sitting in stalled traffic for extended periods. "There probably will be some glitches," said Lt. Gregg Hastings, spokesman for the State Police. Hastings and others said that for many people, the best course might be to plan a low-key New Year's celebration close to home. "If you don't have to drive, then please don't," he said. As the rollover weekend approaches, the Oregon Department of Transportation said its own computer systems are ready for the date change. The agency said the challenge now is to get Oregon motorists thinking about Y2K and its potential impact on travel. At a briefing, officials made it clear one of their biggest worries is over the traffic signals that control the flow of cars and trucks on roads and highways. Ed Fischer of the agency's traffic operations section said traffic lights along state highways have been certified as Y2K ready and that he expects the same is true of most of the traffic lights along city and county roads. "They are going to continue to function -- provided that we've got power," Fischer said. In the event of an outage that cuts off power to the signals, he said, motorists must treat those intersections as though they were ones with four-way stop signs. If there is other traffic, common courtesy requires the driver who stops first to proceed through the intersection first. If there is doubt, then the driver on the right is supposed to go first. Motorists also need to use extreme caution at rail crossings if there's a power outage, the transportation officials said. Many of the crossings have built-in backup power and should continue to operate for a short time. But in the case of an extended outage, rail crossing signals will default to the "down" position, and officials warned drivers never to try to steer around a gate that is in that position. Here in Southern Oregon, ODOT officials said they're not expecting the calendar switch to lead to problems with the reader boards that notify Interstate 5 drivers of traffic conditions on the Siskiyou summit. Radio communications to snowplows and other ODOT vehicles also should be operating normally, officials said. Doug Tindall of ODOT's emergency response unit predicted that a lot of motorists might cancel trips at the last minute if it appears the Y2K changeover is causing problems in other parts of the country. "That's what we've seen in past windstorms in Oregon," he said. "During widespread power outages, people tend to go home. They're just not driving around." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA