TO: Mayor Hornaday and Homer City Council
FROM: Walt Wrede
DATE: June 24, 2005
SUBJECT: Traffic Study / Intersection of Lake Street and Sterling Highway
I spoke with Gordon Keith, the Regional Director, DOT/PF Central Region on Wednesday of last week. My reason for wanting to talk to Mr. Keith was to follow-up on my letter regarding the intersection of Lake St. and the Sterling Highway and to discuss the traffic / intersection study that was presented to the community on June 13th. I wanted re-emphasize the need to do something at the intersection of Lake Street and the Sterling Highway as soon as possible while we discuss long term options. I also wanted to let Mr. Keith know that the City Council appeared to be somewhat less than enthusiastic about the idea of a three way stop. It turns out that Mr. Keith wanted to talk about these issues as well and called me before I got a chance to call him. Following is what I learned from the conversation:
Mr. Keith basically said that installing a traffic signal at this intersection is not as simple as it might appear on the surface. He said that a controller (basically a computer that controls signalization) would be needed and that this was not a “shelf item.” He said that it would have to be ordered and that it would cost approximately $200,000. He re-stated that DOT/PF did not have the money. He said that as a practical matter, by the time you order the controller and other necessary equipment, allow for shipping time, comply with all procurement rules including RFPs and soliciting bids, it would likely take about two months before the signal was actually installed.
Mr. Keith stated that he thought about looking for creative ways to find the money and about adding this work to an existing DOT/PF contract in Homer so that it could be done this year. However, he decided against that for several reasons including, 1) the existing contracts have no available contingency money 2) Federal Highway transportation rules would probably prohibit moving the money from approved projects without a formal, time consuming approval process, and 3) even if number 2 above were possible, it would likely still take two months to get this done and by then, the summer is over and the signal is no longer needed. In short, the bottom line for Mr. Keith was that even if we had the money identified and a contractor on board, it would take two months and by then, the urgency is gone.
Mr. Keith stated that his current plan is to add the signal to a DOT/PF contract that he expects to award for next summer; most likely the Diamond Ridge / Skyline Drive paving Project. He said this would permit equipment to be ordered, contracts to be rewritten, and other work to take place this winter and the signal then could be installed before Memorial Day next year. He also mentioned that the State and the City will need to have a conversation about how to finance this project. I told him that it was the Council’s position that this signal was the State’s responsibility because it was at the intersection of two State Roads. He said that he understood that position but that DOT/PF maintenance budgets were not growing and that this would have to come out of the existing maintenance budget for Homer.
I told Mr. Keith that although the Council had not yet discussed this formally, it seemed very dubious about the three-way stop idea. Mr. Keith stated that he had concerns of his own about this idea. First, he said that he was worried that there might be a number of rear end collisions until drivers got used to it. He said this might be a particular problem in Homer since many visiting drivers only drive through town once or twice a year. He also stated that while a three way stop might make things more orderly, this solution would benefit drivers on Lake Street while hurting drivers on the Sterling Highway. He said the Sterling Highway has a much higher traffic volume and drivers are traveling at a higher rate of speed. This is similar to the argument Scott Thomas made when discussing a traffic signal there. In short, waiting times do not necessarily decrease, the pain simply gets redistributed.
Mr. Keith stated that this decision was up to the City Council. He said that DOT/PF would put in a three way stop as quickly as possible for the remainder of this year if the Council wished. However, his recommendation was that we just try to get through the remainder of this summer and put in a traffic signal before next Memorial Day.
In order to maximize its effectiveness, I think the Council will need to make several transportation related decisions relatively quickly. This sense of urgency is compounded by the fact that the Council will not meet again until July 25. Therefore, I think it is important to make some decisions tonight. I recommend that the Council take the following steps on June 27.