A crew from Dagan Electric Company is installing flashing yellow arrow turn signals at intersections throughout the city in an effort to make left-hand turns safer and meet the latest federal standards, according to the city’s director of public works.

The intersection at Main and Washington streets was the latest stop for the company, as it spent several hours Tuesday removing the old signage and signals while a Suffolk Police Department officer directed traffic, which is a federal work safety requirement anytime there is work happening inside of an intersection.

The old turn signal on each pole, which was accompanied by the sign, “Left turn yield on green” with a green circle underneath, is being replaced by a new signal and the sign, “Left turn yield on flashing yellow arrow.” The new signals also have a reflective yellow coating to make them more visible for drivers.

A flashing yellow arrow means that vehicles should yield to oncoming traffic before entering the intersection and turning.

All new intersections that go up will get the new flashing yellow signals, according to city Public Works Director L.J. Hansen, while Dagan is in the middle of a six-week process of replacing old signals.

Hansen said all but one or two intersections in the city will get the flashing yellow signal. The ones that will not get it, he said, do not have the facilities to handle it.

He expects the work to be finished before the end of October.

“We’re trying to bring our signals into compliance with the latest standards,” Hansen said.

It’s been a two-year process to evaluate the intersections and where it would be appropriate to install the flashing yellow signal, Hansen said.

“I’ve got young drivers in my house, and I ask if it makes sense to them,” Hansen said, “and they say it does.”

The work to change to a flashing yellow will cost about $200,000, with the money coming from the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Safety Improvement Program, which is administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation and the city.