An intersection at County Line Road and Route 50 considered to be quite dangerous, now has a new traffic pattern with the addition of a stop sign.
A sign popped up on October 20th informing drivers of the new traffic pattern arriving on the 20th. The stop sign was installed by the end of the week.
The new traffic pattern isn’t just the stop sign; it includes narrowing Route 50 to one lane both north and south to include turn lanes onto County Line.
Recently, two people died in a multiple vehicle crash at the intersection and Manhattan Fire Protection District issued a press release calling for immediate action at the intersection.
On October 24, an investigative bit ran on CBS regarding the intersection with interviews from Manhattan Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Dave Piper, Manhattan FPD Chief Steve Malone, and Manteno Fire Chief Rick Petersen all sharing their concerns over the intersection and echoing the same sentiments.
16 accidents, 4 fatalities; a stop sign isn’t enough.
Senator Patrick Joyce was also interviewed and he agreed that there needs to be an expedited process to achieve that stoplight and he added he was willing to introduce legislation to do so.
The Vedette contacted the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office for data on accidents reported at the intersection during the last three years back in August, and the data was startling. While the Sheriff’s Office did not narrow it down to specifically accidents, more than 340 calls were made to that exact location in the past three years.
Petersen shared a press release also back in August, calling for immediate action at that very intersection. In the release, Petersen said the Manteno Fire Department had responded to seven accidents at that location in two months. The release goes on to state the intersection is dangerous due to heavy highway speed traffic, geometric and visibility hazards, no turn lanes or advance warnings, jurisdictional confusion, and proven ineffectiveness of current measures.
In that statement, the Manteno Fire Department calls on IDOT to act quickly and immediately begin the process of adding a full traffic signal, turn lanes in all directions, intersection lighting, curbs and drainage improvements, adjustments to intersection approach angles, and advance warning systems for drivers.
”Every delay means more accidents, more injuries, and more families forever changed. We cannot accept a timeline that stretches over the next decade. This needs a top-tier safety priority – now,” said Petersen