Flashing lights were recently installed and should soon be operational over stop signs at the intersections of West Fork Lake Road and Brick Schoolhouse Road and East Fork Lake Road and Brick Schoolhouse Road. Tom Ingraham, Hamlin highway superintendent, said the town requested that the Department of Transportation study the two intersections because of their accident history. "We've had numerous accidents at both intersections," said Ingraham. David Goehring, assistant regional traffic engineer, said there have been eleven reported accidents at the two intersections over the past three years. "We decided to install the lights based on the field evaluation in combination with the accident history," said Goehring. "It wasn't an extreme accident rate, but enough were a result of not recognizing the signs." Austin Warner, Hamlin supervisor, said he sent a letter to the DOT about a year ago asking for a review of these intersections after being prompted by a local resident. "We're hoping that this action will curtail such accidents," said Warner. Goehring said the DOT will review any request sent in by a resident and make necessary changes on a case by case basis. Goehring said the first action is to determine if something can be done to improve the safety of the site besides adding a sign or light. "We want to ensure the uniqueness of our devices, so that when we put them in they really make a difference," said Goehring. |
