Effective immediately, drivers on N. Steele Street in downtown Sanford must come to a stop at Gordon Street, thanks to stop signs erected today by the Transportation Division of the City of Sanford's Public Works Department.
The intersection of Gordon and Steele streets has been converted to a 4-way stop following a speed study and traffic count conducted on behalf of the City. Downtown merchants also advocated for the conversion to reduce traffic speeds coming into downtown as more businesses open along N. Steele Street.
“Slowing down traffic is a crucial component of establishing a sense of place, encouraging foot traffic, and ensuring the best downtown experience possible,” says Kelli Laudate, executive director for Downtown Sanford, Inc.
Erecting the new stop signs is the just one phase of the conversion. The Transportation Division will also paint stop bars at the intersection to add to the visual cues that the intersection requires drivers to stop.
Along with the stop bars, the division will restripe a double yellow line on N. Steele Street from Carthage to Gordon streets to help drivers maintain their lanes and for parkers to leave adequate space for traffic.
“I want to thank our Public Works staff for always looking out for the safety of our downtown merchants and visitors,” says at-large council member Linda Rhodes, who serves as liaison to Downtown Sanford, Inc. “That the City needs to take these measures is a wonderful indicator of the successful growth and revitalization of downtown Sanford.”
“The downtown Sanford community is grateful to Councilwoman Rhodes for advocating on behalf of our downtown businesses and to the City of Sanford for the quick work in placing the stop signs,” Laudate says.
As a reminder, the 4-way stop is effective immediately and citations will be issued for those who fail to abide by traffic laws.