The new traffic lights have been ready since the end of June but they have not been switched on because they have to be coordinated with the Union Pacific Railroad crossing lights nearby.

"The lights will be energized once the railroad completes their work at the railroad crossing," said Morgan Kessler, assistant engineer at the city's public works department. "The railroad must do work on their equipment within their right of way. This work involves electrically connecting the gate control unit at the crossing to the city's traffic signal controller at Sea Gull Way."

Kessler said that representatives of the city had been meeting with railroad officials and they were hopeful that switching on the traffic lights was only a matter of days now.

"The major disadvantage of having the nonfunctioning signal is that the benefits of the signal remain unrealized," he said. "These benefits include improved flow of traffic through the intersection and safety."

The city had to do some additional construction work in the area, and this increased the cost of the project to $30,000 from $27,000. The city council approved the excess spending at a meeting on Nov. 3. The project was put out to bid in 2002.

The northeast corner of the project needed some additional work in terms of sidewalk improvement and an ADA accessible ramp.

The signal is adjacent to the area earmarked for the Gateway Project that will see median and landscaping improvements on a section of Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road.

John Cherbone, Saratoga's public works director, said that the new lights and turn lanes would have a calming effect on that section of the road, where traffic hurtles past at high speeds.