EMILY KALKA
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is set to install a four-way stop at the intersection of 9th and Manvel around the first week of March, according to Chandler City Manager Jason Orr.
Orr initially made the request for the signs on Nov. 15 after the City Council voted on the issue on Nov. 14. At that meeting, Mayor Kent McVey said they were informed by ODOT that it would take about two weeks to get the signs installed after the request was made. Orr mentioned in a later interview that a delay was possible due to the holiday season.
As per the motion made by Ward 4 Council Member Robin Crouch, the current stoplights will remain in place, however, they will flash red at all times.
The city is currently working on an application for a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant that can be used to beautify the downtown area, including hopefully replacing the stoplights. Chandler previously won two such grants for sidewalk projects. Orr said a committee of several residents who worked on the earlier grant applications is working on the current one.
“Our next steps will be obtaining community support letters and developing the conceptual design to replace all the sidewalks downtown and install street lights that are more decorative and attractive,” he said. “The TAP grant is basically a last-ditch effort to save our red lights downtown. There is a possibility that the traffic lights will be replaced by ODOT as part of the project, but it is not guaranteed.”
Orr added that the city has been working with ODOT for over a year to come up with a solution to the dangerous intersection. He said the city was very aggressive in pursuing every possible angle to get a fully signalized intersection, but it’s “simply not allowed under current ODOT regulations.”
ODOT will receive applications from January to March 31, according to Matthew Mitchell, local government division engineer with ODOT, and start awarding selected applicants in October 2024. Orr said if Chandler receives a grant, it will take anywhere from a year to two to complete the project.