6/17/2010
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
NAMPA: Beacons affixed to stop signs are latest step in making Karcher Road (Idaho 55) safer
NAMPA
- To address safety concerns along Karcher Road (Idaho 55), the Idaho
Transportation Department has added safety beacons to stop signs as well as
advisory/warning signs at four major intersections between the Sunnyslope Curve
and Nampa.
These photos on ITD's Facebook account show the
signs and beacons.
Red beacons were mounted Tuesday (June 15) above stop signs at these four intersections
along Idaho 55/Karcher Road:
- Lake Avenue
- Midway Road
- Indiana Avenue
- Farmway Road
Amber beacons also were mounted to the "intersection ahead" advisory
signs on Karcher Road as drivers approach those intersections.
Flashing
red means stop; flashing amber means caution.
Each beacon has an auto-dimming feature so that at night or during overcast
days it's not as bright, which extends battery life.
"This corridor is one of our top
priorities regionally due to safety concerns in the area," said Kevin Sablan,
ITD's Traffic Engineer for the southwest Idaho area. "At ITD we're committed to
safety, and this is another example. It's also a great example of what can be
accomplished when agencies coordinate and cooperate."
All four intersections are in the Top 15 High Accident Locations (HAL) regionally.
In the last five years, those four intersections have accounted for 138
crashes, resulting in 142 injuries and 7 fatalities. Lake Avenue is the
top-ranked non-signalized intersection on the HAL list.
This was another step in a
multiple-step process to address safety in the corridor. ITD is working with
COMPASS, the City of Nampa, the City of Caldwell, Canyon County Highway
District Number Four, and Nampa Highway District Number One on funding
challenges for the improvements, such as additional traffic signals and roadway
widening.
Last year and this past spring, signs on the approach streets to
Idaho 55 in the corridor were upgraded as crews installed larger stop signs and
included a crossbuck to the stop signs bearing the message "Cross Traffic
Does Not Stop." Nampa Highway District Number Four also painted "STOP
AHEAD" messages on the pavement approaches to those intersections as part
of the safety effort.