December 1, 2023 |
Photo – Yield sign – Courtesy dmv-permit-test.com
WYDOT has put the brakes on the the Town of Encampment’s plan to install a new stop sign on Highway 70.
During the October 12th Encampment town council meeting, resident Robert Herring asked the council to replace the existing yield sign at the intersection of 6th Street and MacFarlane Avenue, otherwise known as Highway 70. Herring said drivers tend to ignore the yield sign and continue through the intersection without slowing down.
Councilman Bill Craig said the town cannot install a stop sign at the intersection because all highway signage is owned by the Wyoming Department of Transportation. Encampment Police Chief Kevin Shue said WYDOT was conducting a traffic count at the intersection, and he was waiting for the results. The town council chose to revisit the topic at the next meeting when the findings of WYDOT’s study were known.
During the November 9th Encampment town council meeting, Clerk Treasurer Doreen Harvey said she received an email from WYDOT saying the traffic count at the intersection did not meet the minimum specifications for a stop sign.
According to the WYDOT email, an intersection must have a traffic flow of 6,000 vehicles per day before the state agency will change the signage. In its study, WYDOT said the daily traffic flow through 6th Street and MacFarlane Avenue was less than 1,500 vehicles. WYDOT also said only one traffic incident had been reported at the intersection in the past five years: a minor rear end collision.
WYDOT’s findings mean that drivers passing through the 6th Street and MacFarlane Avenue intersection in Encampment will not be required to come to a full stop before proceeding.
The yield sign will remain in place.
