It has been nearly two months since the traffic lights on Main Street in Russell Springs were damaged and ultimately replaced with stop signs, making the intersection a four-way stop.
That night, people who lived nearby or frequently traveled through that intersection became concerned about what the next steps were, and deservedly so.
If you ask me, it’s time for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to replace the traffic lights at the intersection.
I’ve driven through that intersection multiple times over the last two months, and on more than one occasion, nearly witnessed a collision take place. While it hasn’t been nearly as chaotic as I thought it would be initially, it seems like it is a matter of “when” not “if” someone will be seriously injured or killed there.
There has been a traffic light at that intersection for my whole life, and many of you who are older than me can say the same thing. It still seems odd that there isn’t one there.
Even more importantly, the traffic light at that intersection worked pretty well. It helped remedy speeding issues in that area and created a safer intersection in an area that sees quite a bit of traffic daily.
The transportation cabinet says they are studying traffic patterns at the intersection to determine what the plans are moving forward, so I hope a resolution is reached soon. Right now, we still aren’t sure what the timeline of this study looks like.
I should also note here that Russell Springs Mayor Eddie Thomas and city government do not have the ability to make that decision, as I have saw some comments online wondering why they weren’t doing anything. This issue is controlled by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
Ultimately, I hope the resolution is to place traffic lights back at the intersection, and I hope it doesn’t take a serious accident to reach that conclusion.
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