Panel Studies Union St., Winona Ave. Intersection
April 13, 2017 at 9:53 p.m.
By David [email protected]
During the Warsaw Traffic Safety Commission meeting Wednesday, Administrator and Warsaw Police Capt. Kip Shuter said that at the end of 2016 and the beginning of this year, several members of the commission and Warsaw Community Schools representatives met with INDOT to discuss traffic around the WCHS complex.
“They did some traffic studies throughout that entire region, and it actually came to surface because some accidents were happening at the front of the high school on Fisher Avenue. In their studies, they found an unusual number of accidents occurring at the intersection of Union and Winona, which is also State Road 25,” Shuter said.
In the information provided, INDOT listed 16 accidents happening at that intersection from Feb. 23, 2012, to May 21, 2016. The primary factor for 10 of those accidents was listed as failure to yield.
“But the ones they found the most issue with were the ones that were traveling northbound on Union Street crossing Winona Avenue to go straight. And because of visibility issues – if you’re familiar with that area you know there’s a hillcrest to the west of that location – the conflict there with vehicles pulling out on Union Street in front of eastbound traffic on State Road 25 was an issue,”?he said.
INDOT was asked to look at some solutions to remedy the problem. An email March 17 to Shuter from Dana Plattner, INDOT Fort Wayne district traffic engineer, recommended “making a right-turn only if you’re northbound on Union Street, so that would prohibit you from being able to cross Winona Avenue,” Shuter said in summarizing the email. “They did not offer any other solutions. They didn’t offer any actions on their part, that they would do anything or any improvements to Winona Avenue itself.”
“They’re not going to do anything on (Ind.) 15,” City Planner Jeremy Skinner said.
Shuter said he brought this before the commission so that over the next month or so, before the commission revisits the issue, the board members can look at it themselves and consider other options.
No action was taken at Wednesday’s commission meeting.
Jack Wilhite, city councilman, said INDOT’s suggestion would disrupt the pattern to the traffic flow there. Steve Foster, commission secretary, said the suggestion would just move the issue down to Logan Street. Mayor Joe Thallemer said the only difference would be that traffic on Logan wouldn’t go straight across Winona.
“But basically what Steve’s saying is, you’ve now forced them to Logan Street, they’re going to go up to Winona Avenue, turn right, and if they want to go north, now they’re going to stop on Winona Avenue to turn left to go north on Union Street. So if you’ve created another hazard for accidents because they’ve stopped to turn left,” Shuter explained.
Thallemer said INDOT is trying to get the school to utilize Logan Street more. Skinner said the city also was trying to do that.
Skinner said it just moves the problem but doesn’t address “how easy it is to just get in and out.”
Shuter asked WCS Director of Buildings and Grounds Dirk Felger if the school had any more conversations about its internal circulation.
“The last I heard, (Superintendent) Dr. (David) Hoffert wanted to kind of leave our traffic flow as is,” Felger responded.
Since he’s been with Warsaw, he said Director of Transportation Cheryl Cook has been complaining about the incoming traffic mixing with the bus lot off of Logan Street.
“I thought that was a pretty good solution flip-flopping those, but I don’t think David wants to move on that yet. And I know we’re looking at expanding the cafeteria back there, which adds on to the back of the building there, which probably will affect some of that parking. And I think they’re looking at another piece of some athletic stuff going on, so that might not even be able to happen, is probably his thinking on that,” Felger said.
“Will some of that get changed during that?” Shuter asked.
“Some of that parking might get used up with some future (project),” Felger said.
Traffic around the high school kind of went away with the construction of the Performing Arts Center in 2006, Shuter said. “So they’re not allowing that traffic to flow to get to Logan Street to be able to get the relief from the light at (Ind.) 15 and Rozella,” Shuter said.
Jeff Beeler, Warsaw Public Works superintendent, said one of INDOT’s main reasons for putting a stoplight at Ind. 15S and Rozella Road was to help the school traffic get out, but now the school’s not even using it.
“Because they can’t get there because they block it off before school and then after school,” Shuter stated.
Felger said if they “flip-flopped” the buses, that would solve that problem and “force the students to use it.”
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During the Warsaw Traffic Safety Commission meeting Wednesday, Administrator and Warsaw Police Capt. Kip Shuter said that at the end of 2016 and the beginning of this year, several members of the commission and Warsaw Community Schools representatives met with INDOT to discuss traffic around the WCHS complex.
“They did some traffic studies throughout that entire region, and it actually came to surface because some accidents were happening at the front of the high school on Fisher Avenue. In their studies, they found an unusual number of accidents occurring at the intersection of Union and Winona, which is also State Road 25,” Shuter said.
In the information provided, INDOT listed 16 accidents happening at that intersection from Feb. 23, 2012, to May 21, 2016. The primary factor for 10 of those accidents was listed as failure to yield.
“But the ones they found the most issue with were the ones that were traveling northbound on Union Street crossing Winona Avenue to go straight. And because of visibility issues – if you’re familiar with that area you know there’s a hillcrest to the west of that location – the conflict there with vehicles pulling out on Union Street in front of eastbound traffic on State Road 25 was an issue,”?he said.
INDOT was asked to look at some solutions to remedy the problem. An email March 17 to Shuter from Dana Plattner, INDOT Fort Wayne district traffic engineer, recommended “making a right-turn only if you’re northbound on Union Street, so that would prohibit you from being able to cross Winona Avenue,” Shuter said in summarizing the email. “They did not offer any other solutions. They didn’t offer any actions on their part, that they would do anything or any improvements to Winona Avenue itself.”
“They’re not going to do anything on (Ind.) 15,” City Planner Jeremy Skinner said.
Shuter said he brought this before the commission so that over the next month or so, before the commission revisits the issue, the board members can look at it themselves and consider other options.
No action was taken at Wednesday’s commission meeting.
Jack Wilhite, city councilman, said INDOT’s suggestion would disrupt the pattern to the traffic flow there. Steve Foster, commission secretary, said the suggestion would just move the issue down to Logan Street. Mayor Joe Thallemer said the only difference would be that traffic on Logan wouldn’t go straight across Winona.
“But basically what Steve’s saying is, you’ve now forced them to Logan Street, they’re going to go up to Winona Avenue, turn right, and if they want to go north, now they’re going to stop on Winona Avenue to turn left to go north on Union Street. So if you’ve created another hazard for accidents because they’ve stopped to turn left,” Shuter explained.
Thallemer said INDOT is trying to get the school to utilize Logan Street more. Skinner said the city also was trying to do that.
Skinner said it just moves the problem but doesn’t address “how easy it is to just get in and out.”
Shuter asked WCS Director of Buildings and Grounds Dirk Felger if the school had any more conversations about its internal circulation.
“The last I heard, (Superintendent) Dr. (David) Hoffert wanted to kind of leave our traffic flow as is,” Felger responded.
Since he’s been with Warsaw, he said Director of Transportation Cheryl Cook has been complaining about the incoming traffic mixing with the bus lot off of Logan Street.
“I thought that was a pretty good solution flip-flopping those, but I don’t think David wants to move on that yet. And I know we’re looking at expanding the cafeteria back there, which adds on to the back of the building there, which probably will affect some of that parking. And I think they’re looking at another piece of some athletic stuff going on, so that might not even be able to happen, is probably his thinking on that,” Felger said.
“Will some of that get changed during that?” Shuter asked.
“Some of that parking might get used up with some future (project),” Felger said.
Traffic around the high school kind of went away with the construction of the Performing Arts Center in 2006, Shuter said. “So they’re not allowing that traffic to flow to get to Logan Street to be able to get the relief from the light at (Ind.) 15 and Rozella,” Shuter said.
Jeff Beeler, Warsaw Public Works superintendent, said one of INDOT’s main reasons for putting a stoplight at Ind. 15S and Rozella Road was to help the school traffic get out, but now the school’s not even using it.
“Because they can’t get there because they block it off before school and then after school,” Shuter stated.
Felger said if they “flip-flopped” the buses, that would solve that problem and “force the students to use it.”
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