SR119 in Maria Stein to be 4-way stop

LIMA - The intersection of state routes 119 and 716 in Maria Stein will be converted to a four-way stop in the next few weeks, the Ohio Department of Transportation District 1 announced Friday.

The intersection is familiar as the location of Maria Stein Grain and the Korner Kafe and is where numerous vehicles make turns going to and coming from Marion Local High School and Booster Stadium, both located in the first quarter-mile to the south. The streets are known as Defiance Avenue (State Route 119) and Harrison Street (State Route 716) in the village of Maria Stein.

The transformation from a two-way stop to an all-way stop will be one of two planned this month in Mercer County, joining the junction of State Route 118 and State Route 707 just south of Rockford. The latter change was announced at Tuesday's Rockford Village Council meeting and reported in The Daily Standard Wednesday.

ODOT said the conversions are for safety reasons.

The locations selected for conversion to all-way stops are where crash data found the most common type of crash was the result of a failure to stop or a failure to yield to cross-traffic that was not required to stop, according to a news release from ODOT District 1.

The changes, expected to begin in two weeks, are part of a statewide initiative that is implementing all-way stops at select intersections throughout Ohio. The intersection of State Route 637 and County Road 138 in Paulding County is the only other site slated for conversion in District 1.

"Following the successful implementation of all-way stops at eight intersections in the spring, initial results are encouraging and well-received by local communities," said Chris Hughes, ODOT District 1 deputy director, in the release. "As we evaluate other intersections with low crash rates, but concerning safety trends, we are pleased to have this low-cost tool available where it is needed most."

At both of the Mercer County intersections, message boards to alert drivers of the changes will be placed approximately two weeks prior to implementation and remain on site for approximately two weeks after the change to remind motorists of the new traffic pattern.

ODOT also noted that all approaches of both intersections will be equipped with flashing stop-ahead signs.

According to the release, the work to implement the new traffic patterns will take place over the next two months, but the "expected timing of the closures" at the two sites was stipulated as Aug. 24 for State Route 119/State Route 716 and Aug. 31 for State Route 118/State Route 707.

ODOT will continue to monitor the intersections to ensure the all-way stop is operating as intended, the release noted.

According to the release, ODOT is reviewing intersections throughout Ohio to determine where all-way stops could make travel safer. The solution has been found to improve intersection safety in other states. Since 2018, the state of North Carolina converted over 500 intersections from a typical two-way to all-way stop control. Their analysis of 348 of these locations showed a 100% reduction in fatal crashes and 95% reduction in serious injury crashes. Similar results were also seen in the state of Delaware.