Retractable posts should reduce crashes at corner of Cleveland

Wednesday, 16 August 2006

Retractable posts to corral traffic at crash-prone corner of Cleveland Road, Butler Street.

By BRANDI BARHITE
brandibarhite@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - The city is taking a permanent step to cut down on accidents at Cleveland Road and Butler Street.

Physical barriers blocking the inside left turn on Cleveland Road will be installed by mid-September.

The retractable delineator posts -- in the second inside left turn lane on Cleveland Road westbound -- will coincide with the overhead lane control signs indicating the usable lanes.

When this lane is closed, the posts will protrude above the pavement, creating a physical barrier to vehicles.

Cedar Point was pleased with the $39,360 project approved by commissioners at Monday's meeting. Most of the traffic traveling west on Cleveland Road and turning onto Butler Street is from Cedar Point.

"Certainly, we would support a plan that is easy to understand and make it easier and safer for guests to travel throughout the city," park spokesman Robin Innes said.

The intersection regularly shows up in lists of highest-accident-count intersections -- with 13 accidents in 1999, 15 in 2000 and 10 in 2001.

Cleveland Road traffic counts vary from 21,300 vehicles a day during the tourist season and 16,800 in the off-season, according to Traffic Engineer Josh Snyder.

Vice Mayor Dannie Edmon was concerned the posts would come up when traffic was about to enter the lane. However, Engineering Director Kathy McKillips said the posts would retract if they were coming up while a car was driving over.

The delineator posts will be paid for with $32,000 in federal transportation funds the city receives as a part of the Erie County Metropolitan Planning Organization, and $8,000 from the city's license fee fund.

The project was delayed last year because bids were too high.

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