Four-way stop to go in at dangerous Waterford intersection
Aug. 7—WATERFORD — "A couple years ago, my father and I were working in the garden and we heard a huge crash," Lindsay Emblidge, of Greentree Drive, said Monday.
That crash occurred at the nearby intersection of Vauxhall Street Extension and Douglas Lane. They happen at the intersection rather frequently, Emblidge and other residents in the area said.
"There are lots of kids, people walking their dog and older people out and about," Embridge said.
Greentree Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation, which houses many of those older folks, is just a couple hundred feet from the crossing.
Following public outcry over the dangerous intersection, town police, public works department and Call Before You Dig, a program that helps protect public safety during excavations, were spurred to action.
"We hear you!" a July 25 post on the Waterford Police Department page said. "The Board of Police Commissioners, the Local Traffic Authority, approved making this intersection a four-way stop at the July meeting."
At that meeting, Chief Marc Balestracci suggested they go forward with the four-way stop, including additional signage leading up to the intersection that will warn drivers about the upcoming stop sign. Most of the commissioners agreed that, with ample warning, the four-way stop would be a boon to public safety.
The installation should be complete sometime within the next month, Lt. Patrick Flanagan, who heads the town's traffic division, said Monday. There is no exact date for installation at this point.
The project will be funded by the town's public works budget, Flanagan said.
"Our traffic office conducted a study and determined that the stop signs will help decrease accidents and slow down traffic in an area that historically has had a lot of speeders," Flanagan said.
"There's wrecks there all the time," Jonathan Andrews, who lives in front of the intersection, said Monday. "The last one was on Saturday."
Just three days ago.
"I'm glad they're putting it in," Andrews said.
Douglas Lane winds in an S-shape, creating a blind turn right before it crosses with Vauxhall Street Extension.
If you're traveling southbound, you would be going downhill. Drivers pick up speed before arriving at the intersection, which leads to disaster, Emblidge said.
The stop sign that will be at the bottom of the hill when drivers are traveling southbound will include flashing warning lights, Public Works Director Gary Schneider said Monday. The lights will be solar powered.
"I think it's a better idea," Emblidge said. "Anything that makes people slow down is a better option."
