Photo by Erin Nelson.
Vehicles make left and right turns at the intersection of U.S. 280 and Shelby County 39 in Chelsea. Construction on a new traffic signalbegan the first week of June and was scheduled to be finished the first of July.
The city of Chelsea is adding another traffic light on U.S. 280 in hopes of making the intersection of Shelby County 39 safer.
“It statistically has been the number two spot in Chelsea for accidents,” Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer said. “I have been petitioning for a light there since I’ve been in office.”
After changes were made to the traffic signals at U.S. 280/Shelby County 47 two years ago, Picklesimer said the wrecks there immediately stopped once cars could no longer turn left onto Shelby County 47 without a traffic signal.
“When we fixed that intersection, the Highway 39 intersection became number one for accidents,” he said.
Another spot in Chelsea that recently got a traffic signal is on Old U.S. 280 at Shelby County 11. When Picklesimer closed the shortcut of Shelby County 333 across the railroad, it kept cars from turning left to take the shortcut. When another traffic study was done, the increase in traffic warranted a signal.
For an intersection to be signalized, it has to meet a certain group of guidelines called a warrant. That warrant is based on best practices by national trafficking engineer guidelines and considers factors such as how many left turns and right turns are made, the number of cars that pass daily through the intersection and the maximum time of a backup.
The reason it’s taken so long to get a traffic light at Shelby County 39 was because cars turning out of the Publix shopping center can take the entrance and exit into Publix.
“What I ended up doing was engaging with John Cooper, ALDOT Transportation Director, and told him that if we would make that median cut a left turn only and not an exit, it would force cars to come up to [the] 39-280 light to continue east, which would warrant a traffic light,” Picklesimer said.
He spoke with business owners around that intersection and said they were all in favor of a traffic signal. As soon as it was announced a traffic signal was being installed, one of the corner spots was sold to a new business that will begin construction in November, so there are commercial development positives from getting a light as well, Picklesimer said.
Doug Snider has owned Snider’s Pharmacy, one of the businesses closest to the intersection, for eight years. He said he has seen many serious wrecks, some that included fatalities, and believes a traffic signal at the location will be well deserved.
“It will slow traffic down coming into the city of Chelsea, which is rapidly growing,” Snider said. “The intersection with our building is a big intersection in the city, and I think that having a light there will help our business.”
Snider said he, along with other business owners around the intersection, are excited about the signal and thinks they will see an increase in foot traffic.
“It’s going to be really good,” Snider said. “It’s going to stop accidents and will also be great for the city.”
City Council member Casey Morris worked at Snider’s Pharmacy from 2011-19 and said he strongly supports a traffic light there.
“I can remember back seven or eight years ago one of the first car wrecks I witnessed personally, where a middle-aged woman was hit coming across the intersection, and her car landed in our parking lot,” he said.
Morris said he believes it will have an economic impact on the businesses near the area and with a lower speed limit, drivers will see them and visit them.
“A lot of good things it will do over-and-above the safety side of it. It has been a longtime coming,” Morris said.
After the contracts were signed and the poles were ordered, construction began the first week of June and was scheduled to be finished the first of July.
Once the signal is in place, traffic can only turn right from the lower Publix exit and will no longer be able to turn left. Coming from Chelsea Park, traffic can still turn right into the shopping center.
“The problem with that intersection is that the speed limit has been 65 right there,” Picklesimer said. “When the light goes up, it will drop to 55.”
