Lights and signs coming down

And Stowe Town Manager Charles Safford continues to advise locals who know the detours to Mountain Road to just go around, instead of contributing to the village mess.

But, just like cold medicine and chicken soup can help loosen up congestion, the bridge project is almost done, and traffic will soon flow a little more smoothly. When construction crews wrap up the project, they, and the state transportation agency, will be packing up more than just their tools and vehicles. They’ll be taking down stop signs and traffic lights, information boards and detour markers all over town.

Some people would like some of those temporary traffic devices stay up, according to Safford. He said Tuesday he’s received a couple of emails asking the town to keep the traffic light at Route 100-West Hill Road intersection; it was installed at the beginning of April, when the bridge construction started.

Problem with that request is that neither the town nor the state government owns those lights. They belong to the contractor, CCS of Morristown.

The town could explore putting up a signal at the intersection, but there’s more involved than just placing some lights and poles there. For one thing, at least one dedicated left-turn lane would be needed. And, since Route 100 is a state highway, the town would need permits, funding and engineering studies.

The temporary stop signs at the intersection of Weeks Hill and Mayo Farm roads could be easier to keep up, since placing a stop sign at an intersection is a fairly normal occurrence, Safford said.

But, still, town officials would want to weigh in on that. There’s also the question of whether they actually do any good. Plenty of Stoweites have simply run through those stop signs since they’ve been up, after years of driving through an intersection devoid of them.