CARTHAGE, Mo. — The 2010 census will undoubtedly show a population increase in Carthage over the past decade. More people equals more traffic and the need for more traffic signals.

Police Chief Greg Dagnan said one of the more congested intersections is the four-way stop at River Street and Airport Drive that handles traffic from the new Carthage Senior High School.

“It is not a good deal when school is letting out,” he said.

Dagnan said that when the school opened at the first of this year, it took parents and teenage drivers up to 40 to 50 minutes to clear the intersection, with traffic backed up all the way to the old junior high at times.

“We need to stop east and west traffic, and let north and south traffic flow freely for a few minutes,” Dagnan said.

The Police Department worked with school officials and managed to reduce the wait time to about 17 minutes by dividing the school’s parking lot into north and south sections. Those parked on the north leave by the River Street/Airport Drive route, while those in the south section exit River Street at Fir Road and circle around to get back to the city.

“Most now park in the south lot because they can get out quicker, but it’s still really harried for a good 15 minutes,” Dagnan said.

Joe Allan, who will be a high-school senior this year, said: “After school, you have all that hassle with everybody trying to get out at the same time. Splitting (the parking lot) up has helped some.”

Exiting at the south end of River Street is a little harder because you have to break into traffic on Fir Road, which does not have a stop sign at River Street, Allan said.

The city has been working with a contractor to widen the River Street/Airport Drive intersection, and to improve traffic flow by adding turning lanes and a center turn lane on River Street. Tim Hill, street superintendent, said crews expect to lay asphalt Tuesday and hope to have the site open when school starts later this week. “It’s going to be close,” he said.

Wal-Mart entrance

Another difficult intersection is at George Phelps Boulevard and Highway 571, about one block north of the signal at the Wal-Mart entrance.

“That’s probably the second-highest priority,” Dagnan said. “Traffic gets backed up there all the time.”

He said the roundabout a little farther north is working so well in keeping traffic flowing on Highway 571 that vehicles trying to turn from George Phelps Boulevard can’t get a break to enter.

He said the city has tried to work with Wal-Mart to move the signal (which Wal-Mart funded) from its entrance to George Phelps Boulevard. City Administrator Tom Short said the city has had “very, very preliminary discussions with Wal-Mart, but they are not on the fast track.”

Signals at both of these troublesome intersections are on the city’s five-year plan, Short said. “It’s looked at each (budget) year, but just because it’s technically on the list doesn’t mean it’s approved.” The cost is estimated at between $180,000 and $185 ,000 for each signal. Neither project is funded in this year’s budget.

Installation of any traffic signal also is contingent on whether the Missouri Department of Transportation has sufficient “warrants” (traffic count) to justify the cost.

More congestion

Other busy intersections are on Fir Road (Route HH), west of Highway 571. The new Lowe’s store, McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital, Steadley Elementary School, the Root Zero 3 restaurant, and traffic exiting and entering the 571 bypass have all contributed to increased congestion.

When the city sold the property to Lowe’s, the contract required Lowe’s to pay $100,000 toward a signal at the exit. “Those funds are in escrow now,” Short said. The entrance was designed by MoDOT to accommodate signals. “Everything is there but the signal,” he said.

Even closer to the bypass ramps is the intersection of Hazel Street with Route HH. It carries traffic from the Best Western Motel on the north, and Quiznos, McDonald’s, the Phillips 66 convenience store and Dr. Michael Woody’s dental clinic to the south. It also serves as the entrance to the Peachtree Development subdivision, encompassing property owned by Woody that has been designated a Community Improvement District.

Under the agreement with the city, Woody is responsible for funding a signal at the Hazel Street crossing. (On the south side of Route HH, Hazel Street becomes The Loop.) Sales tax revenue collected in the improvement district is earmarked to reimburse the city for infrastructure and may be used for the traffic signal as well. Short said sales tax revenue thus far has been minimal

Clayton Christy, with Tri-State Engineering, said all the design details, with the exception of some “little minor stuff,” have been worked out with MoDOT for a signal at that intersection. Again, he said, “It’s just a matter of funding.”

The Loop winds through the subdivision until it meets with Highway 571. Christy also has been working with MoDOT on plans for a roundabout where those two streets will join. “We’re not as far along on that,” he said.

The Hazel Street and Route HH intersection was the scene of five accidents last year and two so far this year, Dagnan said. The intersection with the highest accident rate last year (seven) was at Central Avenue and Baker Street, the northwest entrance to the city.