Battery backup units have been installed at 23 key traffic signals in Las Cruces, providing an alternate power source to keep the lights on during outages.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that the southern New Mexico city also is installing emergency pre-emption systems at 10 additional intersections in the city.
Those systems allow fire trucks to hold a green light signal while responding to fires or other emergencies.
The $218,000 to pay for the improvements came from a city traffic fund that gets its money from collections on citations generated by red-light enforcement cameras.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.