KELSEYVILLE? Construction is underway for traffic signals going in at the intersection of Highways 281 and 29, also known as Kit”s Corner.
Motorists are asked to slow down as they drive by the construction zone, where according to Resident Engineer Charlie Butler Caltrans started construction in force on Monday. The intersection has seen numerous crashes and has undergone several traffic studies in recent years.
Kit”s Corner has seen an average of six collisions per year since 2000, for a total of 42 in seven years, according to California Highway Patrol records. Three of those were fatal.
CHP officer Mike Humble confirmed that 17 accidents have happened so far this year within a roughly two-mile radius of the intersection, with an estimated five at the intersection itself. May 29 was the date of the most recent fatality, and the only one in the vicinity this year.
Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie said the signalization is not a safety project, however, but an “operational improvement project” that will allow traffic turning onto Highway 29 from Highway 281 to do so more efficiently.
Studies by a Caltrans traffic safety group revealed that the collision rate at the Kit”s Corner intersection was not higher than the state average for similar intersections, which Frisbie said is one of the criteria in determining when a signal is needed.
“However, in this case there was a very strong feeling from the community that a signal was needed in this area,” said Frisbie.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors committed $33,000 earlier this year toward the $398,000 project. Weather permitting, Butler said he expects the four-way stoplights to be up and running by mid-November.
Construction started later than the Aug. 20 goal, Butler said, with signs going up Aug. 27 to warn drivers to watch out for cyclists, slow for the construction zone and be aware that traffic fines double.
CHP has also been on hand in highly visible locations, which Butler said helps slow traffic in itself.
The speed limit for all four approaches to the intersection is 55 miles per hour, according to Butler, but he said it would be ideal if drivers would slow to about 45 as they pass the construction zone.
The first step in the process is to put in an electrical conduit system underground. Sidewalks with wheelchair-accessible ramps will go in, as will crosswalks and an extended right turn lane from Highway 281 onto the northbound Highway 29.
Three sets of four-inch wide rumble stripping will be ground into Highway 29”s southbound approach, as well, Butler said. Rumble strip is what lines both shoulders of the highways now, and “it”s just enough to wake you up,” according Butler.
Lane closures will be in effect off and on until roughly Nov. 1, if all goes as planned, Butler said.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
