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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us March 10, 2005 Headache relief By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Dr. John Colwell's business is in an ironic location for a chiropractor's clinic. The Colwell Chiropractic Office sits at the corner of Ashland's most dangerous intersection. The intersection of North main, Hersey and Wimer streets is the most dangerous junction in Ashland, with 58 collisions reported since 1991. The city intends to realign both side streets so they meet each other head on, eliminating the problems that drivers trying to turn left off of Main face. Orville Hector | Ashland Daily Tidings Since 1991, 58 collisions have been reported where Hersey Street from the north and Wimer Street from the south intersect with North Main Street, according to Ashland Assistant City Engineer Jim Olson. "We hear all of them," said Colwell, who has been in business at his current location since 1984. "Usually the paramedics arrive before we get out there, but we've had to go out and help them - give them water, let them use the phone." He said he doesn't know if any people injured at the intersection have ever used his services. Olson said that for more than a decade, the intersection has been at or near the top of the city's list of the 10 worst intersections ranked by number of accidents. "Right now, it's our number one problem intersection as far as crashes go," he said. Problems occur because Hersey Street and Wimer Street do not line up with each other. When one driver on North Main tries to make a left-hand turn onto Hersey, he or she frequently meets a driver coming in the opposite direction and trying to turn left onto Wimer. The two vehicles block each others progress, leading to rear-end accidents or T-bone collisions when one driver tries to break the stalemate by darting left and then being hit by oncoming traffic, Olson explained. On Tuesday, the Ashland City Council approved spending $270,000 to buy vacant land beside the chiropractic clinic. The land could be used to provide parking for the clinic and the nearby Hersey Office Condominiums. The city then could buy a strip of the clinic property and land across the street to shift Hersey and Wimer into a straight line with each other. However, the city has yet to conduct an engineering study of the feasibility of such a plan. Other options are still on the table and include installing a traffic light or banning left-hand turns, according to Olson. If the city decides not to realign Wimer and Hersey, the newly purchased land could be resold, he said. The Oregon Department of Transportation has jurisdiction over North Main Street, which is called Highway 99 before reaching Ashland. ODOT could provide funding to help improve the safety of the intersection, according to Olson. Colwell said he is worried about losing part of his property and parking spaces for a street realignment, but thinks the creation of parking spaces on the empty lot bought by the city could ease his concerns. "I'll work with them and cooperate with them," he said. Staff writer Vickie Aldous can be reached at 482-3456 x 3016 or [email protected] . DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's & Men's Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weightloss Products Memory Foam Mattress afsa studentloans home equity loans teleconferencing W2 Forms fasa student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts African Safari Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation wholesale diamonds Currancy Exchange Online Casinos Community Fasa Student Loans Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams