Police Chief Gene Meek stands at the corner of St. Michaels and Church streets. The intersection will be converted to a four-way stop due to concern from borough officials about pedestrian and student safety. Meek believes, "we're on the clock to have somebody hit."
Borough Manager Mason Villarma stopped his truck at the top of St. Michaels Street when a car driving down Church Street whizzed by him going 40 miles per hour - 15 mph over the speed limit - in a school zone, nonetheless.
"We need to slow things down here," Villarma thought to himself this summer. In response, he reached out to other borough officials to see what could be done. The result is a four-way stop at the intersection of St. Michaels and Church streets, next to the Stikine Middle School and Wrangell High School.
The idea is a partnership between Villarma, Police Chief Gene Meek, Dwight Yancey from the borough's light and power team, and Public Works Director Tom Wetor.
Villarma said he expects the four-way stop to be fully operational around the beginning of November. The borough is waiting on the fabrication of the curved post for the stop sign that will be planted on the corner outside the KSTK offices.
Meek said the four-way stop cannot come soon enough.
"I believe we're on the clock to have somebody hit," he said. "But the city is doing a great job being proactive. It's a dangerous intersection."
For people bothered about having to stop on their commute to work, Meek was forthright.
"The normal speed limit is 25 mph. You will literally have to leave 30 seconds earlier," he said. "Thirty seconds is well worth the cost of somebody's life."
Initially, the team wanted to hang a blinking traffic light over the center of the intersection. However, Meek said the 300-pound light fixture would cause the cables to sag too low over the road. Specifically, he was concerned about large trucks like the Alaska Marine Lines trailers "dragging down the whole thing."
Instead, the team opted for a much easier option: two new stop signs, one for the northbound traffic on Church and another for the southbound traffic. Both signs will be outlined with blinking lights to better catch drivers' attention. The lights will be powered by attached solar panels. Villarma said the borough will be able to complete the project for around $5,000.
Drivers on St. Michaels already have stop signs at the intersection, with the right-of-way belonging to those traveling on Church Street (which turns into Zimovia Highway just south of the intersection with St. Michaels).
When the two new signs are erected on Church, the right of way will belong to whoever arrives at the intersection first. If two vehicles arrive at the same time, the right-of-way belongs to whichever vehicle is furthest to the right.
The new stop signs are not the first change to road safety near the secondary schools. The borough installed a solar-powered speed tracker sign in August. The signs display a vehicle's speed if under 25 mph. It lights up red if someone is traveling between 25 and 35 mph. If a driver exceeds the speed limit by 10 mph, the sign displays a blinking "slow down" message.
The borough is also installing new solar-powered electric crosswalk signs outside the schools. The crosswalk upgrades are expected to be completed by the end of September. The total cost for all the new safety measures will be under $10,000, according to Villarma.
"The priority is public safety, but most importantly, student safety," Meek said.
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