By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
ASHFORD — New traffic control devices for all-way stops were installed last week at the T intersection of Route 219/Miller Road and Peters Road in the town of Ashford.
A stop sign and flashing red light have also been installed at the end of the northbound “slip lane” onto Peters Road.
Previously, north-south traffic on Route 219 and Miller Road did not have to stop at the Peters Road intersection; only traffic on Peters Road turning left onto Route 219 South or turning right onto Miller Road faced a stop sign.
As of last week, oversized stop signs were unveiled on all three sides of the intersection. In addition, flashing red lights designed to further alert drivers to the intersection were activated.
In addition, the 45 mph zone near Peters Road will be extended further south to include the Connoisarauley Road intersection.
This summer, the state Department of Transportation plans to construct a roundabout at the location. “The enhancements are being implemented as an interim measure in advance of a larger safety enhancement project that is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2025,” the DOT Region 5 website states.
The changes can’t come soon enough for Ashford Supervisor John Pfeffer, who along with others in the West Valley community, have been begging the state to take more safety measures at the accident-prone intersection ever since the expressway opened.
It’s been nearly 15 years since the four-lane Springville to Ashford section of Route 219 opened in 2010.
Town officials and first responders warned DOT when it opened that the Peters Road intersection was unsafe. The number of accidents since then have proved town officials right.
“I’m happy they finally listened to us,” Pfeffer said in an interview with the Olean Star on Wednesday. “Something needed to be done.”
DOT officials held a community meeting in West Valley last year to get their input. State officials wanted to build a roundabout to slow traffic at the intersection. Work will get underway this summer.
In the meantime, the all-way stop signs and red flashing lights will remain at the intersection, which leads to the Route 219 expressway.
Pfeffer said the pad intersection and the roundabout will be installed so large trucks can roll over the low curbing.
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