Austin drivers may soon see a functioning traffic light at the intersection of Oakland Avenue W. and 12th Street SW.

The lights have been blinking red for several days.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation, which is in charge of the light because of its proximity to the interstate, said repairs could be complete next week.

“We’re hoping next Tuesday,” said Kile Holm, signal technician with MNDOT. “We had to order a new signal cabinet.”

The cabinet has to be customized in Minneapolis to work with that particular intersection before it’s ready to be used. Holm said if the cabinet is finished in Minneapolis before Memorial Day, he can install it Tuesday.

“Once we have the cabinet, it shouldn’t take us too long,” he said.

Repairs would likely avoid rush hour times, and may take place between 9 a.m. and noon, he said. The work won’t block the road, but there will be an all-way stop at the intersection until the light comes back online.

The DOT has been aware of the problem at the intersection for about the last month and was trying different ideas to see what would take care of the issue, Holm said. The city replaced the tranformer in hopes it was a matter of fixing the power supply, but the light kept having problems.

“We’re kind of at wit’s end,” he said.