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Rough winter leaves many NYC traffic signals on the fritz
By
Liam Quigley
Published Mar 8, 2026
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Liam Quigley
By
Liam Quigley
Published Mar 8, 2026
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New York City’s traffic signals are suffering the consequences of two major winter storms and a deep freeze that lasted for weeks.
Complaints about broken traffic signals have surged to 15,543 so far this year, up 42% compared to the same period in 2025. The Department of Transportation confirmed the spike in faulty traffic signals and said the problem is mainly tied to last month’s blizzard, which dumped as much as 24 inches of snow. The agency said it raced to fix lights that fritzed out, addressing the problem within an hour and 40 minutes on average.
“The recent historic snowstorm brought power outages across the city, which also had an impact on our signals— we responded quickly to make repairs and keep New Yorkers safe,” spokesperson Mona Bruno said.
Transportation officials said that many requests were for traffic signals that were flashing yellow, which occurs due to voltage fluctuations. The uptick of problems was likely caused by melting snow and ice seeping into underground wiring, officials said.
A wave of home power outages after last month’s storm was also attributed to road salt damaging underground electrical cables.
Officials also attributed traffic light outages to fallen trees.
New York City has around 13,500 signalized intersections, but only a fraction have a battery backup that allows them to function when power is disrupted.
Sam Schwartz, a former traffic commissioner, said he recommended more backup batteries after the 2003 blackout snarled traffic and thrust the city into darkness.
“The traffic signals being out caused a massive problem as people tried to negotiate intersections,” Schwartz said.
New York City was the first large U.S. city to begin fully converting to more energy-efficient LED traffic lights. The process was completed in 2009. The shift cut the energy used by traffic signals by 81%. Schwartz said the reduced energy consumption makes battery backups more feasible.
The dangers of darkened intersections are real. People were almost twice as likely to be injured in so-called dark signal crashes, according to a 2007 study commissioned by the state transportation department.
When fail-safes kick in as designed, Schwartz said, a flashing yellow light should be treated as a sign to proceed with caution, while a flashing red light should be treated as a stop sign.
Complaints about potholes are also up following the rough weather and plowing, with 13,649 complaints about street conditions so far this year.
Transportation officials said it's typical to see more complaints following intense winter weather, but that the agency has filled roughly 170,000 potholes annually in recent years.
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new york city
transportation
Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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