Published: October 01, 2008 01:29 am            

WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM: Signal sought for intersection of routes 93 and 104

Three state roads and a county road come close to converging at the northwest corner of the Town of Lockport at Warrens Corners. Nancy Sweeney of Appleton says it is a dangerous intersection where state routes 104 and 93 meet, and a traffic light should be installed.

On one corner, there is a memorial where motorcyclist Stephen Stodolka was killed in May.

Sweeney barely avoided a serious accident last week when she was driving east on Route 104. A female westbound driver cut in front of her to make a left turn on Townline Road and forced her to veer right and brake suddenly. Sweeney stopped a few feet before she would have hit a cyclist who was stopped for traffic.

“I was able to stop just in time to avoid hitting the passenger side of her car but the abrupt stop made my car swerve,” she wrote. “I was only a couple of feet from hitting that man on the motorcycle. Had I hit him or the inept driver of the other car, I doubt that I would be able to write to you today.”

“I had to sit for five minutes,” Sweeney said. “It’s a horrendous place.”

The speed limit is 55 mph on Route 104 where routes 93 and 270 intersect. Stone Road comes in at an angle, taking a turn to reach Old Beebe Road.

The next day after her near-accident, Sweeney witnessed another close call while traveling west on Route 104. “I was on my way into work this morning (Sept. 24) at 8:35 a.m., and the same thing happened to another vehicle, and thankfully once again, God and His angels kept another motorist safe.”

Warrens Corners has Cambria on the west, Wilson and Newfane to the north and the Town of Lockport to the southeast. They are state roads.

“Who makes these decisions?” Sweeney said. “How many have to die before it’s considered?”

The towns could request a light, according to Charlie Morgante, director of operations for the state Department of Transportation. “Anybody can put a request in,” he said. “We get requests all the time. We do them in the order they come.”

Letters can be addressed to NYS DOT, 100 Seneca St. Buffalo, NY 14203, and DOT may initiate a study.

Action can depend on need, but everyone thinks their need is most important, Morgante said.

Town of Lockport Supervisor Marc Smith suggested a petition signed by about 25 people. “The DOT has very specific formulas,” he said. “We forward it along. The state decides when. We haven’t seen much movement from DOT.”

Sweeney has called the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department and her county legislator.

Angelo Borgese of the regional traffic operation unit said that the DOT will review accident data and conduct studies on peak hour traffic and the direction of traffic.

“Signals can reduce accidents, but others can increase them,” Borgese said. “There are more rear-end accidents. It’s a delicate balance.”

Contact reporter Bill Wolcott at 439-9222, ext. 6246.

        

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