The temporary traffic signal blocking the sidewalk at the corner of Hillwood Ave. and Annandale Rd. for more than a year is gone and another interim, yet far less disruptive, solution is now in place.

City of Falls Church work crews have installed and activated a new signal pole at the affected intersection which has been without a permanent fix since high winds blew over the traffic light pole there more than 16 months ago.

Repeated delays, including an error by a contractor ordering replacement poles, pushed a permanent fix for the intersection back to April 2020 at the earliest.

The new short-term solution uses the poles ordered in error (the City says they’re unusable in the long term) but removes the temporary signal that prevented pedestrians from using the sidewalk.

Once the City receives delivery of the correct poles next year, the installation currently in place will be removed and replaced.