Fairfield council approves stop signs at B and Monroe

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield City Council approved a resolution Monday to install stop signs at the intersection of South B Street and East Monroe Avenue in response to residents concerned about the safety of the intersection.

The new stop signs will make the intersection a three-way stop. Fairfield Public Works Director and City Engineer Melanie Carlson told the council Monday there had been some “close calls” at the intersection, prompting the streets superintendent to observe traffic patterns there. After observing the traffic, the superintendent suggested adding two stop signs to the intersection.

Council member Elizabeth Estey asked Carlson how the city decides when and whether to investigate intersections. Carlson said that, after hearing residents’ concerns, the city looks into factors such as site distances at the intersection, and how fast traffic is going.

“I also look at whether the traffic in one direction is much larger than the traffic in another direction, because then three- or four-way stops really don’t work,” Carlson said. “What we found at this intersection is that the traffic is pretty equal. There’s a large amount of traffic coming from the west that is east and northbound.”

Carlson told the council they could refer the matter to the public safety committee for further study if they wanted to. Katy Anderson, chair of the public safety committee, said that wasn’t necessary.

The resolution passed unanimously. Those voting in favor were council members Estey, Paul Gandy, Doug Flournoy, Anderson, Judy Ham, Martha Rasmussen and Tom Twohill.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com