Hayward’s adaptive traffic signals show early gains on two busy corridors
Hayward says adaptive traffic signals have produced faster measured traffic flow on portions of Tennyson Road and Winton Avenue/D Street, with the largest reported gains in westbound morning traffic.
The city announced the early results on July 14, 2026, after deploying the system on Tennyson Road in May 2025 and on Winton Avenue/D Street in November 2025. The project covers defined corridor segments and named intersections, not all of Hayward’s streets.
What the city measured
On Tennyson Road, the city reported that westbound morning traffic increased from an average of 16 mph to 22 mph, a 43% improvement. The city also reported westbound afternoon gains of 28%, eastbound morning gains of 20% and eastbound afternoon gains of 21%.
On Winton Avenue/D Street, westbound morning traffic rose from 13 mph to 19 mph, or 49%, according to the city. The reported gains were 24% westbound in the afternoon, 23% eastbound in the morning and 24% eastbound in the afternoon.
Those figures are city-reported corridor results. They do not establish that adaptive signals alone caused every improvement, or that every driver experienced the same change.
Where the system operates
The Tennyson Road segment runs from Sleepy Hollow Avenue to Dixon Street, covering approximately 2.1 miles. The Winton Avenue/D Street segment runs from Santa Clara Street to Atherton Street, covering approximately 1.2 miles.
Regional project records describe a 17-signal scope involving equipment and control upgrades. The work includes adaptive-control software, communications and networking upgrades, signal controllers, video detection and related signal infrastructure.
Adaptive signals use current traffic information to adjust signal timing in response to demand, rather than relying only on fixed schedules. For Hayward commuters, that means timing can respond to changing traffic conditions along the covered corridors.
Funding and project records
The project received a $515,000 Transportation Fund for Clean Air award from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Alameda County Transportation Commission, or Alameda CTC, distributes the county’s TFCA funds as the county program manager.
Hayward City Council records identify the work as Project No. 05342 and document a separate TransCore implementation-services agreement with a not-to-exceed amount of $202,500. Alameda CTC’s fiscal 2024-25 compliance report lists $192,524 in reported expenditures for the project and documents the corridor and equipment scope.
What the results do not show
The city’s announcement describes an early assessment of specified corridor segments and signal locations. It is not a citywide traffic study, a guarantee of permanent performance or proof that all intersections in Hayward will see comparable gains.
The project’s clean-air funding purpose also should not be read as measured proof of emissions reductions. The available results concern traffic-flow speeds, while longer-term performance and any emissions effects would require continued evaluation.
For now, the practical takeaway is limited but useful: drivers on parts of Tennyson Road and Winton Avenue/D Street may encounter signal timing that responds more closely to traffic conditions. Hayward’s next important measure will be whether the reported gains persist across different traffic patterns, seasons and operating conditions.
Sources
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