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63 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, May 5, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental 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 Email Story to a Friend April 28, 2004 Motorists are just getting used to the new four-way stop at California and Oregon streets in Jacksonville while the Oregon Department of Transportation rebuilds a stretch of highway. The city hopes to make the change permanent. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Go-ahead sought for new four-way stop By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune JACKSONVILLE — If the city gets its wish, a temporary traffic change — a four-way stop at the intersection of Oregon and California streets — will become permanent. The Oregon Department of Transportation recently installed stop signs on California Street (Highway 238) to ease traffic concerns during its $3.5 million project to rebuild a one-mile section of highway downtown. Oregon Street already had stop signs. City Administrator Paul Wyntergreen said the city is responding to public requests by asking ODOT to make the change permanent. "We’re getting good traffic flow both for vehicles and pedestrians," said Wyntergreen. "It’s much safer and people are really happy to cross there without having to challenge a truck." Linda Graham’s shop, Scheffel’s Toys, sits at the northeast corner of the intersection. Graham, after seeing how the four-way stop improved traffic flow, took the request for permanent status to the City Council. Advertisement It took awhile for drivers to get used to the new signs, Graham admitted. Drivers on California Street sometimes sailed through the intersection, narrowly missing cars traveling from Oregon Street, she said. "People keep forgetting to look," she said. "They need to pay attention to the new signs." Wyntergreen said the council voted unanimously at a recent meeting to request a permanent four-way stop from ODOT. Wyntergreen cautioned that the city’s request may not be granted. ODOT tends to allow traffic on heavily used streets to flow freely. California Street, far the busier street of the two, has a heavy concentration of truck traffic, he said. John Vial, ODOT district manager, said his team will review the intersection for traffic flow and other criteria once it receives Wyntergreen’s letter. "We’ll make a recommendation," said Vial. "I can’t say at this point if we’ll support the stop or not. We need more information." Wyntergreen said he’s hoping recent changes under the Special Transportation Area section of the Oregon Highway Plan may help Jacksonville’s cause. "It allows for different treatments than there are under the standard approach," said Wyntergreen. Jacksonville’s request will be sent to the state traffic engineer in Salem where a final decision will be made, Vial said. Wyntergreen said he knew of no law expressly prohibiting a traffic light but that a signal probably would be incompatible with Jacksonville’s status as a National Historic Landmark. 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 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times