Changes being made at four intersections
By TIM GULLA Ledger Staff Writer tim@gaffneyledger.com

South Carolina Department of Transportation workers installed new stop signs at Rutledge Avenue and Petty Street Tuesday to better alert Petty Street motorists. Changes are also planned at three other nearby intersections. (Ledger photo / CODY SOSSAMON)

Traffic studies of College Drive and Rutledge Avenue didn't make a case for installing traffic lights or four-way stops at several busy intersections that make some residents worry about safety.

But ongoing talks between the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and City of Gaffney officials are leading to several changes at four intersections on the two state roadways.

On Tuesday, SCDOT workers installed new stop signs, including two in recently created islands at Rutledge Avenue and Petty Street. Rutledge Avenue traffic still will have the right of way, but it's hoped drivers on Petty Street can't miss the mandate to apply their brakes.

The SCDOT has been looking at several intersections since last year. Its initial look at the Rutledge and Johnson Street intersection, for instance, led to new roadway markings. Ongoing concerns, though, led to a meeting April 30 between the city's engineer and DOT engineers so they could exchange ideas.

The result of the meeting will be additional changes at Rutledge and Johnson, College and Johnson and College and Petty.

SCDOT District Traffic Engineer Greg Shaw said the stop signs at the Johnson and Petty intersections with the two state roadways will be replaced with the much larger 48-inch versions. The SCDOT also plans to place additional "stop ahead" signs on both roadways to alert motorists to the Rutledge Street and College Drive intersections, and will also place reflective material on the stop sign and "stop ahead" poles.

"We're trying some different things to see what works better," Shaw said.

Shaw said they even discussed the possibility of adding rumble strips in the roadways, but decided against it because of the amount of noise they would generate in the residential neighborhood.

Gaffney City Administrator James Taylor said the work that's being completed first at Rutledge and Petty will be monitored for the next 60 days or so to see how effective it is in controlling traffic. If successful, he said, those changes might be applied at other intersections.

Taylor said the city and the SCDOT also talked about trimming some trees to reduce shadows on some stop signs.

Some local residents wanted to see traffic control measures like four-way stops at intersections such as Rutledge and Johnson, which was the site of a fatal wreck in September 2006. The Cherokee County Public Library is located at that intersection, too, making it a magnet for pedestrians.

Shaw said traffic studies showed neither Rutledge Street nor College Drive met the criteria for four-way stops or traffic lights.

"In general, you always want to stop the street with the lesser amount of traffic," he explained.

The changes planned will likely occur over the next few weeks.

SCDOT District Traffic Engineer Greg Shaw said the stop signs at the Johnson and Petty intersections with the two state roadways will be replaced with the much larger 48-inch versions. The SCDOT also plans to place additional "stop ahead" signs on both roadways to alert motorists to the Rutledge Street and College Drive intersections, and will also place reflective material on the stop sign and "stop ahead" poles.