A little after 9 a.m. on Thursday morning, Cary crews turned on a new set of traffic lights at Cary Glen Boulevard and Green Level to Durham Road.

The intersection is the site of a hit and run accident that claimed the life of 16 year old Kailee Birdsong earlier this summer.

Hundreds of people signed petitions, wrote letters to elected officials and turned out for a rally demanding traffic signals.

"We cooperated with NCDOT and they provided us with a lot of assistance as far as getting the signal plan done as quickly as possible," said David Spencer, a traffic engineer with the Town of Cary.  "I've never seen one done that fast before. They helped us install the poles and our staff did a great job in installing all the rest of the signal equipment and get this thing up and going."

The lights had been on, but just blinking, for a few days.

Traffic was moving smoothly most of the morning Thursday, and a lot of drivers seemed to welcome the new signal at an intersection many considered dangerous.

"It was very bad. I had to be very very careful when I crossed the road because everyone on Green Level to Durham, the cars go very fast," said Usha Bajpai.  "It's very difficult to see the cars when they're passing by. It's a split second mistake that can happen any time."

Some drivers noticed the increased wait time; Green Level to Durham Road is five lanes wide, not including the median, so when pedestrians cross they're given almost 30 seconds to make it across.

"I think it's a pretty good idea, but I think probably some people are going to not like how much extra time it takes," said Lee Gordon.  "It took a lot less time not waiting on a red light, but otherwise you know, for safety and everything, I think it's been pretty good."

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