Operation Green Light wraps up yearlong project to study methods for improving road efficiency

The Mid-America Regional Council has wrapped up a yearlong pilot project aimed at improving traffic flow across parts of the Kansas City metro area.

Funded by a U.S. Department of Transportation Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant, the project used crowdsourced data to measure how well traffic signals were performing on key roads. The goal: to better understand where signal timing could be improved to reduce delays and keep traffic moving.

Over 12 months, MARC worked with four vendors — Inrix, Clear Guide, Streetlight and Flow Labs — to collect and analyze data from designated corridors. The information helped identify which intersections needed attention without relying solely on time-consuming field studies.

Why it matters: This approach could save cities time and money while making commutes smoother. By tapping into large-scale data, transportation planners can more easily spot problem areas and adjust signal timing where it’s needed most. The result is a more efficient, responsive traffic system — one that’s better equipped to handle growing demand.