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  • Tahlequah Street Department crews expect a West Fourth Street widening project to be complete in fewer than two weeks. A state contractor will then begin installation of traffic lights where the street intersects with the State Highway 51 west bypass. Josh Newton

    jn SA 4th st intersection.tif

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February 2, 2012

Bypass getting signals

By JOSH NEWTON Staff Writer

TAHLEQUAH — After months of discussions between city and state officials, a Tahlequah intersection notorious for producing injury and fatality crashes is set to receive traffic lights.

The project is a combined effort of the city and state.

Tahlequah Street Commissioner Mike Corn said an ongoing lane-widening project on West Fourth Street, which intersects with the State Highway 51 bypass, could be complete in less than two weeks.

He estimates the widening project alone to cost about $70,000.

After the city’s work is complete, a state contractor will begin installing traffic lights.

“A lot of people are glad to see it coming,” said Corn. “It’s been a bad intersection since the bypass went in. It’s needed.”

Traffic Signal Inc. is the state contractor for installing the lights, according to Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokeswoman Kenna Mitchell. She said the state’s contract is approximately $122,000 with a three-month timeline.

Introducing traffic lights to a new area can be a concern for drivers, Mitchell said, so the new traffic lights won’t be immediately activated upon completion of the installation; instead, the lights will be slowly introduced to drivers.

Signs will be installed to warn drivers of the change, and the traffic lights will flash for some length of time before the system is brought online, Mitchell said.

Drivers can also expect reduced speed limits at the intersection, Mitchell said.

“We want to urge drivers to be on alert if they travel through this intersection in the coming months,” said Mitchell.

The Tahlequah intersection has been the focus of concern for drivers and emergency responders for several years. Records kept by the Tahlequah Police Department show approximately 13 crashes occurred at the intersection between 2009 and 2011, with 15 injuries and one fatality resulting from those collisions.

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