The city of Bloomington is installing more four-way stop signs near the Indiana University campus. Here’s where they’re going and why.
Where is the city installing new four-way stop signs?
The four-way stop signs are being installed at the intersection of:
13th Street and Woodlawn Avenue.
13th Street and Indiana Avenue.
What’s changing?
Currently only east-west traffic, on 13th Street, has to stop. After the installation of the new stop signs, north-south traffic, on Woodlawn and Indiana, also will have to stop.
When will the new Bloomington stop signs be installed?
The work is scheduled for the week of Aug. 11.
Why is Bloomington installing the new stop signs?
The city said in a news release the Transportation Commission recommended the changes because of the frequency of accidents at those intersections.
The city said seven right-angle, or T-bone, crashes occurred at the intersection of 13th Street and Woodlawn Avenue within a year. City Engineer Andrew Cibor said via email the other intersection saw five crashes over a year.
Two of the crashes at each intersection caused injuries, he said. The crashes involved primarily motor vehicles, not pedestrians and cyclists.
Cibor said crashes at the intersection occur primarily because drivers are failing to yield the right of way, meaning drivers on 13th Street "are not stopping at the existing stop sings or misjudging gaps in traffic."
The U.S. Department of Transportation generally recommends stop signs be installed if an intersection has seen at least five accidents within a year.
Will the installation require council approval?
That’s unclear.
Cibor has ordered the stop sign installations through an administrative measure that expires after 180 days. Previously, the Bloomington City Council had to approve such a change to make it permanent. However, comments from council members earlier this year hinted that the administration of Mayor Kerry Thomson and some council members disagreed as to whether council approval was required.
Cibor said via email Tuesday that the city's legal department and the city council's attorney are still exploring the matter.
How much does the installation cost?
Cibor said he did not have a detailed cost estimate.
"This effort utilizes staff time and material funding from with the Public Works Department, Street Division, operating budget," he said.
Boris Ladwig can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: New 4-way stop signs are being installed near the IU-Bloomington campus.
Comments