Plan begins to reduce crashes at county line
After two fatal wrecks in two years at a dangerous intersection on the Logan and Oklahoma counties line, the state Transportation Department plans to install new signal lights in all directions.
More than 10,000 vehicles a day travel on SH 74 through the intersection at Waterloo, where the highway is five lanes for northbound and southbound traffic with a left turn lane.
There have been 42 collisions at the intersection in the past five years, including two fatalities in the past two years, state Transportation Department spokeswoman Lisa Shearer-Salim said.
The majority of the collisions are caused by drivers who fail to yield when trying to cross SH 74 on Waterloo Road, she said.
The once rural area has become more suburban, with population increasing from new housing developments nearby. And traffic has increased along with the growth, Shearer-Salim said.
Flashing yellow lights caution the northbound and southbound traffic on SH 74 at Waterloo. But red lights are needed for all four directions of traffic, Shearer-Salim said.
Eastbound and westbound drivers on Waterloo have stop signs, flashing overhead red lights and signs warning drivers the cross traffic on SH 74 doesn’t stop. But it has not been enough, she said.
“We’ve got a tremendous amount of traffic control at the intersection now but we are still seeing collisions,” Shearer-Salim said. “We’re concerned we are not seeing a decrease in the number of collisions.”
The new signal lights for all four directions will take 18-months to install at the intersection. And motorists are reminded be careful in the mean while, said Shearer-Salim said.
The design work on the $500,000 signal light project has started, Shearer-Salim said. Oklahoma and Logan County commissioners will share in the maintenance of the intersection when it is completed, she said.
Construction is not expected to start until late 2019 or early 2020.