Study to explore stoplight changes at two Mitchell Avenue intersections

By Cameron Montemayor

St. Joseph will take a hard look at the future of traffic lights at two intersections along Mitchell Avenue.

Members of the city’s Traffic Commission met on Wednesday at City Hall to discuss preliminary plans for studying traffic signals along Mitchell Avenue at the intersections of South 26th and South 27th streets.

St. Joseph Public Works and Transportation is expected to conduct a warrant study in the fall to determine whether removing, replacing or keeping one or both of the stoplights will be needed. Using stop signs is one option.

“Pedestrian traffic would be the key. How many people use it? Years ago, those were pretty active intersections,” said Bob Douglass, Traffic Commission Board member.

The study will look at the engineering of traffic conditions, pedestrian characteristics and physical characteristics of intersections to determine if signals are justified.

Public Works Deputy Director Keven Schneider favors exploring replacement options at South 26th Street but has reservations about potential changes to the South 27th Street intersection and its impact on traffic flow.

Officials are looking to do the study around September when school is in session to examine how traffic conditions in those areas could be impacted during one of its busiest times.

“Most cities in Europe have kind of a flat ruling that you don’t put two street lights within a block of each other,” St. Joseph resident Anthony Glise said. “We don’t do that, but we need these.”

Glise lives near the corner of Mitchell Avenue and South 27th Street and thinks removing or replacing the lights could have a negative impact on speeding, which he sees often.

“This area can see 50- to 70-mile-an-hour traffic,” he said. “If they take those out, we’re going to have a bigger problem.”

That particular stretch of Mitchell Avenue has seen notable changes in business activity over the last few decades that other residents say have led to decreased traffic and more reason to make changes. Jerre-Ann’s, a longtime popular restaurant, closed in 2008 as well as Hall Elementary School in 2014.

While not located within those intersections, fewer vehicles flowing through the area to go to the former Dairy Queen and Apple Market grocery store have impacted traffic as well.

Once the study is complete, the Traffic Commission and Public Works will make recommendations to the City Council about how to best proceed.