Third, Cherry Street redesign underway

After approval from the Graham City Council in August, a redesign of the intersection of Third and Cherry Street as a four-way stop is underway.

The city has discussed the redesign since June, when a recommendation for the change was made for the intersection along with the Fourth and Tennessee Street intersection.

The city council approved allocating $16,500 in funds in the street department budget for the Third and Cherry Street project, with concrete making up the bulk of the cost at $15,000. 

City Manager Eric Garretty and Graham Police Department Chief Brent Bullock made the recommendation to the city council after the city’s Transportation Improvements Committee requested GPD to conduct an analysis of traffic accident data at city intersections.

After receiving input from GPD’s patrol division, the department’s recommendations were for the two intersections.

The Fourth and Tennessee Street intersection was approved and later adjusted in October to include flashing stop signs to make the signs more visible to motorists. 

Public Works Director Randall Dawson established a plan that worked for the Third Street and Cherry Street intersection, which was presented Thursday, June 26. 

“We’re basically going to extend the curb line on the west side of Cherry Street to match what the street width is on the east side of Cherry Street down Third (Street),” Dawson said in June. “I reached out to some providers that do mast arms and suspended cables. I’ve not received any official quotes back, but the suspended cables they did tell me that you’re probably looking at $100,000.” 

Dawson said that extending the curb would be a cheaper alternative for the city. He spoke Thursday, Aug. 14 with the city council and said extensive concrete work will have to be completed.

“Due to the way the water drains and the height of the road, there has to be some gaps left in the concrete so that the water doesn’t puddle where the handicap access is and so that’s the reason the price is so high, is the extensive concrete work for the job,” he said.

The extended curb option was proposed as a way to place the stop signs where they can be seen in the center of the street. 

“I feel if we don’t put the curb there then with anybody traveling east on Third Street, there’s a chance that they’re going to hit that stop sign,” Dawson said in June.

The plan eliminated one parking spot on each side to extend the curb, but would maintain the angled-in parking. The curbs will be painted for no parking.

Flashing stops signs were added this week at the Third Street side of the intersection. The Cherry Street side will maintain the traditional stops signs that have been in place.

Included with the concrete work is handicap access which will be added for First Baptist Church which is located at that intersection.

“For a long time we’ve needed to reconfigure the access there, the handicap access for those entrances on the First Baptist (Church) down there,” City Manager Eric Garretty said. “They asked us to take a look at that in there and support this.”

Dawson said the handicap ramps were added off of the curb near the church to match the ones already on the Graham Memorial Auditorium side. Additional handicap signage will also be put in place.

“We are going to restripe and add some handicap signs on both sides to let everybody know that the handicap ramps are there,” Dawson said.