Traffic Safety at the South Junction Remains a Concern

A T-bone crash at the South Junction has seemingly confirmed safety concerns from the City of Willow Springs and the police department about the increased traffic in the area. After months of enhanced enforcement and increased citations at the location, the inevitable fender bender has happened.

One driver, Julie Olsen, was transported from the scene to a hospital for treatment of a minor injury. The other driver was not injured. The crash occurred on August 11 when a Ford Focus driven by Courtney Brower of Willow Springs pulled into East Business 60/63 from the Love’s parking lot and struck the driver’s side of Olsen’s Jeep Cherokee as it travelled westbound. According to a police report of the crash, Brower “failed to see” the Jeep and crashed into the side of vehicle, deploying the airbags. 

This crash is not the only collision that has occurred at the South Junction since the arrival of several new businesses have made it the most heavily traveled area in town. On July 19, Beth Wilcox of Butte, Mo., caused a crash when she rear-ended a semi-truck on the exit ramp from the highway. According to a report completed by then-Cadet John Thomas, Wilcox caused the crash due to disorientation. On January 23, Tony Stacy of Willow Springs experienced a single-car accident when his vehicle slid on the ice into a manhole riser at the intersection of Business 60/63 and Industrial Dr. 

Despite the low number of crashes, traffic patterns at the South Junction will likely cause more accidents. Chief Bryan Hogan took Howell County News on a ride along to observe the traffic on August 13, and even from within a marked police vehicle, the disregard for traffic laws was clear to see. In the approximately twenty minutes spent observing the traffic at the intersection, easily two-thirds of the vehicles coming off the exit ramp to turn right on Industrial Drive did not come to a complete stop. Approximately half of the motorists turning either direction from Industrial onto Business 60/30 did not stop either. Both locations are marked with a stop sign. 

This is not the first time Howell County News has reported on safety concerns or increased enforcement in this area of town. In early 2020 after the opening of the new truck stop and strip mall, the police department released a statement about safety and increased enforcement that was duly printed. As recently as August 5, a front page story described increased enforcement there as well. 

Officer Jim Hedlesten is currently an officer for WSPD, but he spent more than 30 years with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The traffic patterns at the South Junction have piqued his interest. His perspective is that many drivers overestimate their abilities by not looking long enough to be positive there is no oncoming traffic before proceeding to drive. 

“The speed limit at a stop sign is zero,” he said, “[It’s] not a ‘slow down’ sign...you need to stop, collect your thoughts, and look both directions.”

 

By the Numbers

According to information courtesy of WSPD, police in Willow Springs have issued 84 stop sign citations or warnings in 2020. 68 of those, or nearly 81%, of these tickets were issued at the South Junction. 

For the City of Willow Springs, writing these tickets and collecting fines is essentially a public service. The revenues generated by collecting traffic violation fines fall short of funding even the police department’s own budget by hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to a report furnished by City Clerk Alicia Worley, the total amount of fines collected this year by the City for citations issued in 2020, traffic or otherwise, is $20,831. The 2020 budget for the City of Willow Springs amended on July 16 shows the police department is projected to cost $572,124 to operate this year. 

Worley noted in an interview that not all the money collected for fines and citations stays in Willow Springs. Portions of court costs leave the City to fund statewide crime victim compensation programs, domestic violence shelters, and more. 

For contrast, the substantial revenue that funds City programs comes from taxes, not from traffic tickets: general sales taxes, capital improvement taxes, park sales taxes, and use taxes. The general sales tax for the month of August 2020 alone was $47,151.45. 

 

What Can be Done?

The City of Willow Springs cannot make changes to the intersection or signage without MODOT’s approval. Despite being within the City’s purview, the roads themselves are right-of-ways that fall under MODOT’s authority. City Administrator Beverly Hicks is seeking their input and approval for a short term solution that would bring more attention to the stop signs, but this would be a stop-gap pending a major engineering change to the area.

Before the installation of a permanent solution to manage the increased congestion such as a traffic light, any changes to the lanes, or something similar, MODOT will perform a study and engineer a solution. This process could take years. In the meantime, the South Junction remains the most heavily traveled area in Willow Springs and will remain a focus of enforcement activity by the police.