He said he expects the new road to be open during late summer or early fall, depending on weather conditions, but would not be more specific.
The new study could “result in determining that a traffic signal is warranted there, if it meets all the federal criteria.”
The City Council had been told the state was planning on controlling the intersection either with a four-way stop or a two-way stop on 77 only, and are leaning toward the latter. The consensus among the council members was this would result in numerous accidents with injuries and possible fatalities.
“It’s not unusual for new construction to cross an existing road, and you have to use either real or projected numbers to determine what type of controls. Those determinations are made based on federal guidelines. It may sound counterintuitive, but sometimes putting up a traffic light where one is not warranted can actually cause more accidents than stop signs. There are a lot of variables to take into account.”
As for the suggestion of building an overpass, Harris said, “You use the right tool for the job, based on what you have available. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of infinite funding available to us.”
Contact Chris Norwood at cnorwood@dailyhome.com
