Rural Stop Signs Being Installed

Following up on an announcement of a grant by the County Board Chair in the News-Gazette letters several months ago. From the News-Gazette today:

Stop-and-go effort: Signs going up at rural intersections across county
Construction crews began installing 628 stop signs last week at rural intersections across Champaign County.

Once the project is complete, all rural intersections should have at least two-way stop signs.

"The time of year when it's going to be most helpful is when the intersections are blocked by the tall corn," said county engineer Jeff Blue. "We just hope that when the stop signs are installed that people will obey them. If they do, we definitely will have a decrease in the crashes at those intersections."

When the project was approved by the county board in April, Blue said the signs would establish a clear right of way and that federal studies have shown a 22 percent reducation in the crash rate.

Springfield-based TMF Construction received the $171,000 contract to install the stop signs; 90 percent of it is paid for by a federal grant...

TMF has until Dec. 1 to complete the project...

Once the stop signs are installed, it will be up to the township road commissioners to take care of them.

That's "the one downside," said Aaron Esry, a county board member whose district includes the southeastern part of the county. "When they need to be replaced, it will be on the townships themselves."

Full article with additional information here.