New traffic signals attached to mast arms are being installed in several locations around the city.

The equipment was purchased with funds from the Mississippi Department of Transportation, said city engineer Garnet Van Norman.

He said the project will include lane improvements and new crosswalks at some locations.

The lights are being installed at Clay Street and Old Highway 27, Washington Street and Lee Street, Clay and Cherry streets, Halls Ferry Road at Bowmar Avenue and Halls Ferry Road at the entrance to the U.S. Waterways Experiment Station.

Van Norman said he is not sure when the project contractor, B&B Electric, will complete the project, but he expects it to be before Christmas.

James &#8220Bubba” Rainer, city public works director, said the benefits from the lights will include cleaning up the intersections by requiring fewer wires.

&#8220They clean up the intersections a whole lot,” Rainer said. &#8220Once we get it complete, the signals are supposed to work in unison so the traffic should flow better.”

Rainer said the funds from the MDOT, for which he had no total, are part of a program providing money for signal upgrades to municipalities across the state. He said certain streets qualify for the funds.

Van Norman said whether the new traffic signals will be placed in other locations around town depends on if the city receives more MDOT funding.