CLEVELAND, Tenn. - A new traffic safety improvement proposal calls for the reduction of Ocoee Street northbound and southbound lanes in the vicinity of the Eighth Street intersection, which is landmarked by a pair of monuments.
The intersection, which includes a midway space where vehicles must stop as they cross Ocoee Street, long has been cited as an accident-prone trouble spot by Cleveland officials.
In a recent meeting, Cleveland Development and Engineering Services Director Jonathan Jobe discussed the plan and its $244,000 price tag with city leaders.
Out of the total estimated cost, Cleveland and the state will have to pitch in only $11,400 apiece. Federal dollars will cover the balance of the project.
"We're getting quite a bit of project for a small amount of money," Jobe said.
The project, conceived by state transportation officials after a requested traffic safety study, would widen the space now occupied by a Confederate soldier statue and an obelisk commemorating a group of prominent young residents killed in a train wreck in the 19th century.
By doing this, more space would be available in the midway crossing, increasing its vehicle stacking capacity and improving visibility, Jobe said.
The proposed elimination of a northbound left turn lane that feeds traffic into the crossway could lead to some traffic backup, he said.
"I have a feeling it may back traffic up a little further than we're used to there," Jobe said.
Councilman David May requested that local stakeholders such as Lee University, the historical neighborhood association and nearby property owners be consulted before going forward with the project,
The proposed changes are not expected to affect Arnold Memorial Elementary School, which is located on Eighth Street a number of blocks west of the intersection, said Dr. Martin Ringstaff, director of Cleveland City Schools.
A Tennessee Department of Transportation road safety audit, performed in February, stated that 29 crashes occurred at the intersection between 2010 and 2012 and another 13 occurred between 2013 and 2014.
While none of the 2013-2014 crashes involved incapacitating injuries or fatalities, the 2010-2012 crash data cited two incapacitating injuries and four non-incapacitating injuries.
The City Council has discussed the possibility of installing traffic signals or transforming the intersection into a roundabout.
Traffic signals have been installed at the intersection and subsequently removed twice in the past, Vice Mayor George Poe said during those conversations, referring to the intersection as "a death trap."
"It's going to function better than it does now," Jobe said of the new plan. "The only other option would be a red light and before we tried that, I would rather try this first."
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Contact him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.