FORTVILLE — Traffic lights are going up at a busy intersection in Fortville.
The lights will control traffic at East Broadway Street, or State Road 67/U.S. 36; and South Madison Street, or State Road 13.
Work on the Indiana Department of Transportation project started last Thursday and is expected to last about three weeks, INDOT spokeswoman Mallory Duncan said.
Duncan said the project’s design began about five years ago due to complaints about the intersection being dangerous.
“We always want to take safety into consideration,” she said.
A traffic count and crash study warranted the traffic lights, Duncan continued, adding traffic volume has only increased in the years since as Fortville grows.
Work may result in temporary lane restrictions, Duncan said, but the intersection shouldn’t be forced to close at any point during the project.
Duncan said the project’s cost is estimated at $167,000.
Fortville Police Chief Bill Knauer welcomes the traffic lights.
“I definitely think the light will have a positive impact,” he said.
While crashes occur at the intersection, they don’t happen too frequently, Knauer said.
“We do respond to crashes there, but we respond to crashes at every traffic light in town,” he said.
That’s why drivers should be alert as they approach every intersection regardless of what traffic control elements are in place, he continued.
“The majority of crashes occur because of driver inattention,” Knauer said. “Pay attention to street signs, pay attention to road markings and give yourself plenty of distance and time to react to situations happening around you.”
That goes for Broadway and Madison, he continued, even after the traffic lights are activated.
“I think people are still going to have to pay attention, especially with the way the road is designed,” he said.
Knauer said most of the crashes at that intersection occur when a driver turns west off of Madison onto Broadway and immediately pulls into the far left lane as westbound Broadway traffic approaches.
“They need to pull out into the closest lane and signal their intention to move into the far left lane,” he said. “But what we see so often is people pull right out into that far left lane into oncoming traffic. We just want people to pay attention, slow down and yield to the person with the right of way.”
