Wadena County commissioners approved interim County Highway Engineer Ryan Odden's recommendation that the four-way stop on Colfax Avenue and First Street Southeast remain in place.
Two additional stop signs were installed as a temporary means of traffic control for a detour during the reconstruction of U.S. Highway 71 last summer and fall.
The Wadena City Council asked the county and state to study whether the stop signs should remain after Police Chief Bruce Uselman brought the issue before them.
Three of the four legs of the intersection are county roads, Assistant County Highway Engineer Jeff Adolphson told the county board. The recommendation to keep the stop signs is based on traffic counts the Wadena Police Department conducted Jan. 13-20. The highway department analyzed those results based on procedures in the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
The traffic survey includes detailed counts of traffic and pedestrians during one-hour time increments, Uselman said.
ADVERTISEMENT
During just one hour, from 3-4 p.m. on Jan. 14, 426 vehicles and 26 pedestrians passed through the intersection, according to the traffic survey. The survey also details what direction the traffic and pedestrians were going. A morning traffic count indicated that 72 vehicles and 3 pedestrians went through the intersection from 5:50-6:50 a.m. on Jan. 15. From 7-8 a.m. on Jan. 14, 266 vehicles and 2 pedestrians went through the intersection.
Uselman said the next step is for the city council to discuss and vote on the issue.
Adolphson informed county commissioners the district state aid engineer said the recommendation looks fine and state aid does not get involved in making these kind of decisions for the county. The district traffic engineer with the Minnesota Department of Transportation also agreed that no additional approval was required from his office, Adolphson said.
