No stop signs for CR 100 at Rail Road

A traffic study of Rail Road at County Road 100 concluded that additional stop signs aren’t needed, but Chesterton’s Engineering Department has suggested other ways of improving the T intersection’s safety.

Police Chief Tim Richardson briefly reviewed the Engineering Department’s study during Thursday’s Police Commission meeting.

The intersection doesn’t satisfy the Indiana traffic control code’s criteria to add stop signs on County Road 100 at Rail Road to make it a three-way stop, the Town Engineer’s office found

There have been 13 crashes reported at the intersection since 2004, the engineer’s report said.

Town officials, though, say those who are westbound stopped at Rail Road have trouble seeing oncoming northbound traffic on County Road 100.

The main recommendation for resolving the issue is to ask the property owner to remove or trim the large coniferous trees in the southeast quadrant County Road 100 and Rail Road. The other suggestions included more signage alerting motorists about the approaching intersection.

Town Manager Dave Cincoski, who was at the commission meeting, requested that the police commission approve the police chief to work with the town attorney’s office regarding the recommendations made by the engineering department.

The two commission members agreed – Commission member John Schnadenberg was not there – to forward that recommendation to the Town Council.

In other business, the commission agreed to ask the Town Engineer to study the intersection of Jackson Boulevard and Broadway. The north-south traffic on Jackson Boulevard is controlled by stop signs, but vehicles traveling east and west on Broadway do not stop.

Richardson said that the present situation appears to be a traffic hazard.

Construction is proceeding on schedule for the new police station as an elevator shaft along with wood framing are starting to rise from the foundation, Richardson said.

Richardson said the plan is that the structure will be under roof by the time winter arrives.

Commission member Pete Duda asked about a report of how the police department’s K-9 detected a residue of drugs in a vehicle that was recently stopped. However, Duda noted there wasn’t enough evidence to charge the driver, who was freed.

Duda wondered if it was a “mule” who had unloaded drugs before they were stopped. He asked if the Chesterton police would pass on the report to other agencies.

Richardson said that the department does share information with other departments.

The chief said he suspects that if it could be known the amount of human trafficking and drugs that pass through Chesterton on the highways, “it would literally be mind blowing.”