Council approves four-way stop on Dolphin Drive intersection

Elizabethtown is adding a four-way stop to one of its collector streets by the narrowest of margins.

Responding to a 3-3 tie, Mayor Tim Walker broke a stalemate Monday to authorize the installation of a four-way stop at the intersection of Dolphin Drive and Mary T. Meagher Drive in an attempt to reduce crashes.

Councilmen Kenny Lewis and Marty Fulkerson and outgoing councilman Larry Ashlock voted no and questioned its implementation after Police Chief Tracy Schiller said the main cause for the crashes is the blatant disregard of posted stop signs at the intersection.

Fulkerson said the four-way stop will do nothing but give violators more stop signs to run while others have questioned if the number of crashes is high enough to call for action. Schiller said police do not recognize the intersection as a high-risk crash spot compared to intersections on U.S. 31W.

Walker said several crashes have occurred at the intersection in the last few years and reported complaints from residents and employees about numerous near collisions.

The problem appears to be an assumption by those traveling on Mary T. Meagher Drive that Dolphin Drive traffic must stop, Walker said.

Planning director Ed Poppe said the city normally does not place stop signs on collector roads, which Dolphin Drive has been classified. The goal, Poppe said, is to keep traffic moving on collector streets and stop side streets approaching those roads.

In other business, the city lowered the age to run for city council from 21 to 18 and the age to run for mayor from 25 to 21 to align with changes in state law. The council also approved the purchase of a 2013 single axle dump truck from Bluegrass International Trucks for $108,795, which is state bid price.

Marty Finley can be reached at (270) 505-1762 or mfinley@thenewsenterprise.com.