Traffic lights going up at U.S. 177 and Benson Park Road

One year after four-way stop signs were installed at the dangerous intersection of U.S. 177 and Benson Park Road, work is being done to upgrade that area with traffic lights and an additional turn lane, with an expected completion date in late August.
Because of numerous fatality accidents occurring at that intersection, four-way stop signs were placed there in June 2008, with future plans calling for traffic lights to be placed there.
That future is here.
David Meuser, an Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesman, said the traffic lights are in the process of being installed by Traffic Signals, Inc., and other improvements are being made, including a northbound turn lane from U.S. 177 to Benson Park Road “to help widen the turning radius” there.
ODOT is picking up the cost for most of the Benson Park Road intersection project, while the city of Tecumseh is funding it with a 25 percent match. Meuser said the project was estimated to cost about $124,000, but the official bid returned at $111,000. There could be additional costs as the project progresses, he said, but the city of Tecumseh’s part will likely be about $31,000, Meuser said.
Tecumseh Police Chief Gary Crosby said since the stop signs were installed one year ago, there have been no further fatality crashes at that location, but there have been some accidents with minor injuries.
But Crosby said the intersection, which for a time saw an average of two or three fatality crashes every year, can definitely use the traffic lights, no matter what the cost.
“I’m more interested in preserving life,” Crosby said. Someday, the chief said he hopes to see traffic lights added other areas he’s concerned about, such as U.S. 177 and Highland and SH 9 and 13th Street.
While motorists may already notice that the traffic lights are up with street signs, the traffic lights won’t be operational until the project is complete, which is expected by the end of August, Meuser said.
At that time, Crosby said police will conduct extra patrols to ensure a smooth switch over.
Until the traffic signal lights are operational, Crosby reminds motorists that the stop signs are still in place and the intersection remains a four-way stop.
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Kim Morava may be reached at 214-3962.