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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 19, 2004 Jacksonville experiments with four-way stop Signs at California and Oregon streets will go up for a year, unless congestion on Highway 238 becomes a problem By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune JACKSONVILLE — New traffic signs on Highway 238 will create a four-way stop at the city’s busiest intersection, California and Oregon streets. But the signs may be temporary, said Oregon Department of Transportation officials. ODOT District Manager John Vial said the two signs — which will be installed early Tuesday morning — come at the request of the city, not ODOT. "The community has requested these signs, and we have complied," said Vial. The intersection currently has two stop signs in place on Oregon Street. The four-way stop was requested by the city after citizens and businesses urged the council to take action. Advertisement Vial said the signs are in place for a one-year study to determine their effectiveness. They may be removed sooner if traffic from the Applegate Valley creates new dangers, he said. If inbound vehicles begin stacking up on Jacksonville Hill, the winding two-lane highway could create visibility issues for incoming drivers, he said. "If we have crashes or serious issues, we will be taking them out sooner," said Vial. The real problem is that vehicles traveling on Highway 238 (called California Street in town) often don’t stop for foot traffic, said Linda Graham, owner of Scheffel’s Toys, located on the northeast corner of the intersection. This failure to yield to pedestrian right of way has caused numerous accidents and near misses, she said. "Just last week a (pedestrian) visitor assumed it was a four-way stop and almost got nailed," said Graham. Although the new signs have required the removal of valuable street parking for her business, Graham firmly supports the four-way stop. "This has been needed for a long, long time," she said. Community members say the worst congestion occurs on Sundays when traffic from the largest church in Southern Oregon — Applegate Christian Fellowship —flows in and out of town. Church officials estimate membership at between 3,000 and 5,000. The majority, said church pastor Matt Heverly, use Highway 238 to come to services. "The majority (of our membership) comes from Medford and Ashland," he said. Heverly said the church is concerned the stop sign might cause even more traffic congestion in Jacksonville. "There have been some concerns with staff," he said. "As a church, the last thing we want is the folks of Jacksonville to have a problem getting in or out of their town." ODOT will install cameras to monitor the intersection, said Jacksonville Police Chief David Towe. If the signs cause a serious bottleneck, Towe said his department would try to help ease congestion. "I suppose if it gets really bad, we can get out there and move (traffic) along," he said. But his four-officer staff does not have the resources to handle a chronic problem, he added. "It will be interesting to see how it goes," Towe said. Graham said she is optimistic the new signs will alleviate, not cause, traffic woes. "I know ODOT is concerned traffic will back up," Graham said. "But we don’t think it’s going to be a problem." Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities