From QFC to Safeway, the city of Sammamish wants to install smarter traffic signals along the 228th Avenue corridor.

Several contractors submitted bids to the city to construct the adaptive signal control technology at 11 intersections from the Issaquah-Pine Lake Road Southeast intersection at 228th Avenue to the Northeast 12th Place and 228th Avenue intersection.

The bids were published on the city’s webpage in mid-February.An adaptive control is a form of traffic signal that responds in real time to traffic conditions. It reads the road and can help control congestion.

With adaptive technology, delays decrease and vehicles are more fuel efficient.

This technology would be able to react more seamlessly to unpredictable traffic fluctuations and increased congestion, accordingto the city’s adaptive signal control technology concept of operations document dated November 2014. The current system is not capable of handling such fluctuations.

The city’s total budget for the project is almost $670,000. It was granted $462,000 in federal funds, most of which are allocated for construction costs.

City Public Works Director Laura Philpot said the city most likely will choose the lowest bidder, assuming they meet the city’s standards.

Pioneer Cable Inc.’s bid was the lowest, of $509,737, out of the eight submitted, according to the public works department.

The project is still within its first phase.

Many project details and related data are outlined thoroughly in the city’s November 2014 operations document.

In the 228th Avenue corridor, the main stretch of Sammamish, the high traffic peak hours are between 7-8 a.m. and between 3-6 p.m.

Depending on the time of day, northbound or southbound traffic dominate. There is more traffic moving southbound during the morning peak hours; northbound traffic dominates in the afternoon peak hours.

“The one- to three-signal-cycle plans that are used cannot efficiently respond to the traffic variations during the day,” the city’s operations document stated.

There are anywhere between 1,700 and 2,600 vehicles per hour in the morning peak hours. There are 1,780 vehicles per hour and 3,000 vehicles per hour between 5-6 p.m.

Traffic is expected to increase as the city’s town center develops.

There are many limitations the current system presents, like its inability to recover efficiently after in unexpected incident, such as an accident or emergency vehicles stopping the regular flow of traffic.

The adaptive technology would solve many of these issues, including reducing the city’s long-term maintenance costs.

Some more complex things the system will be able to handle include running a left turn phase before and after opposing traffic is let through, the ability to separately monitor each lane and take action depending on the conditions measured in each lane and maximize the time a green light is held.

Sammamish City Council will pick a contractor at the March 3 council meeting at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall.

The city hopes to have the system installed by the end of summer, Philpot said.