Traffic has changed in the village of Jeffersonville due to the removal of the traffic light at the intersection of Main and High streets.
Also known as the intersection of Route 41 with Route 734 and 729, the four-way stop will now be managed with stop signs and red flashing lights.
In January there was a water main break underneath the pavement in the road at the intersection. As crews were fixing the water break, they unintentionally cut through the traffic signal sensor underneath the pavement.
The traffic signal sensors regulate the flow of the traffic through the light. To replace it, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) told the village of Jeffersonville that it would cost $20,000, according to mayor Bob Kinzer.
Kinzer said ODOT came back to the village to do a 24-hour traffic study. Cameras were set-up at the intersection and recorded the traffic. The video was reviewed by ODOT to see if the intersection warranted a stop light.
“ODOT came back and said we don’t need one. That if we wanted to go with a red flashing light only with four stop signs, we could do that legally,” said Kinzer.
Kinzer said he and village council members talked to community members to see what they thought of the light change.
“They said, well, it’s fine with me, so we went ahead with it,” said Kinzer.
ODOT modified the traffic light to a red flashing light a few weeks ago, Kinzer said. This change affects the truck traffic coming on the highways through the village because now the drivers have to stop.
“We’ve had complaints for years about the speed through town,” said Kinzer.
The speed limit is 25-miles-per-hour in the downtown business district, but Kinzer said some truck drivers would slow down at the edge of town to time the light to get through town without stopping.
“This is absolutely safer,” said Kinzer. “We have kids who walk over to the pool.”
