Yukon traffic commission asks for post-construction study after signal removal at Andrew and Garth Brooks

YUKON, Okla. — The Yukon Traffic Commission voted unanimously Feb. 10 to ask city leaders for a traffic flow study after construction ends at the intersection of Andrew and Garth Brooks, following public complaints that removal of a traffic signal has made the corner difficult and unsafe to use.

Residents told commissioners they now often cannot pull out of nearby parking aisles and driveways because traffic piles through the intersection once the light was removed. At the meeting, Terry Metcalfe said, “people are blocking the intersection... We can't even pull out there,” and said elderly residents and guests at nearby Hampton Inn were struggling to access businesses. Her husband, Robert Metcalf, said he had “expected it” to be temporary for construction and asked that the light be reinstalled once construction is finished: “I would really appreciate having the light go back in once the construction is completed.”

A city official identified in the meeting as the public works director said the signals “were removed... to help move traffic through Garth Brooks underneath the overpasses to to alleviate some of the backup on I 40 off and on ramps,” and added that a median is planned on the Andrew (KFC) side to allow right-turn-in/right-turn-out access. The director described a similar treatment for the Bronx driveway as “possible” but did not commit to a final design.

Commissioners raised concerns about access to four nearby businesses and a residential care facility, and about safety for people trying to cross or turn at the intersection. The commission discussed the procedure in the traffic control manual (described in the meeting as chapter 4), which calls for temporarily bagging signals and studying operations before permanent removal. A commissioner said that bagging and study had been done previously around 2015 and that residents should have been notified before a permanent removal.

Speaker 3 moved that, after construction is complete, the commission request a formal flow study to determine whether the signal should be reinstalled or remain removed. Speaker 5 seconded the motion. The commission then took a roll-call vote: Montgomery, Peters, Puckett, Scannelli and Rather all voted yes. The motion passed unanimously.

What happens next: The commission’s recommendation will go to the city for consideration. Commissioners noted that coordination will be complicated by planned development along 10th Street and by the city's responsibility for maintaining signals within its curb lines. Chair announced the commission’s next meeting for Tuesday, March 10.

Quotes in this article are taken directly from the Feb. 10 Yukon Traffic Commission transcript.