Warsaw Traffic Safety Commission Wednesday heard there will be signal improvements beginning Monday in Kosciusko County.
Kip Shuter, traffic commission administrator, shared information he received from Indiana Department of Transportation that signal improvements to numerous intersections along U.S. 30 in Whitley and Kosciusko counties will begin.
On Monday Shambaugh & Son, Fort Wayne, is scheduled to begin the $1 million modernization project near Etna Green moving east along U.S. 30 toward Fort Wayne.
Intersections in Kosciusko County receiving new flashing yellow arrows include U.S. 30 at Ind. 19, U.S. 30 at CR 150W, U.S. 30 at Springhill Road and U.S. 30 at Parker Street.
The project consists of new signal heads. Motorists should expect to encounter temporary daytime restrictions in all locations. The project will finish in Fort Wayne with completion scheduled for late June.
With the new flashing yellow configuration, drivers will be able to make protected left turns with a steady green arrow.
A steady yellow arrow will follow the phase, and then a steady red arrow for one to two seconds.
At that point, a flashing yellow arrow will allow left-turning traffic to proceed while the opposing through traffic has a green light, after yielding the right of way to oncoming traffic. The flashing yellow arrow will be followed by a steady yellow arrow and then a steady red arrow again.
The steady yellow turn arrow retains its standard meaning that the signal is about to change to a steady red arrow, and drivers should be prepared to stop or if they have entered the intersection they should complete the left turn when oncoming traffic has cleared.
In other business, the commission approved installing a handicap parking spot in the unlimited parking section in the 100 block of South Lake Street.
“There were questions of having handicap parking for unlimited spots in downtown and we looked at this location that would get them close to the downtown and the street department has measured the spot and it will fit, but we will lose one parking space to make it a handicap space,” Shuter said.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said parking is a tough issue.
“We discussed potentially some type of unlimited parking tag that could use the two hour parking spots but then you get into ordinance problems,” Thallemer said. “This was the closest unlimited spot to the center coor of the downtown and for someone who needs to park longer than two hours I don’t see any other option.”
Joel Beam, traffic commission member, said he feels it is important to provide equal parking access for all.
“This will suffice for us to be able to provide an unlimited handicap parking spot in the downtown,” Shuter said. “There will be a point in the near future we will need to have to visit handicap parking all together and do a comprehensive change of where we do handicap parking because it’s a mix of where they are right now.”
Mike Klondaris, commission member, informed the commission there are center lane lines that need to be painted on Market Street.
Jeff Beehler, street superintendent, will be contacted about the issue.
(Story By The Times Union)
