Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Monticello may get a second caution light, this one at the intersection of US 19 South and Martin Road, where the Jefferson County Fire Rescue station is located.
Prompting the consideration is concern about the potential for a collision involving emergency vehicles leaving the station and fast-moving traffic on US 19.
Commissioner Eugene Hall raised the issue at the Jefferson County Commission meeting on Thursday evening, Jan. 16.
Hall related a recent incident that he had witnessed where a fast-moving truck on US 19 had barely managed to stop when a fire truck entered the highway from Martin Road. Were a caution light or some other kind of warning activated to alert traffic of an emergency vehicle entering the highway, potential disasters could be averted, he said.
Fire Rescue Chief Derrick Burrus offered three possible options. The first, he said, was that a light could be installed at the intersection, which JCFR personnel could activate from within the station when emergency vehicles were going out. The problem he saw with this option, Burrus said, was that in the rush to respond to an emergency, personnel might forget to trigger the light.
The second option, he said, entailed the installation of a permanent amber light at the intersection as a constant caution to motorists on US 19. The drawback with this measure, he said, was that drivers would get accustomed to the light and it would cease to have meaning after a while.
The third option, which he said should be implemented regardless of which of the first two options was selected, entailed cutting back the trees and foliage on Martin Road that currently obstruct a view of both the road and the highway.
Of the latter option, County Coordinator Parrish Barwick noted that negotiations were already underway with Morris Petroleum, which owns the property, to give county personnel permission to trim back the trees and shrubbery so as to allow for visibility of the emergency vehicles.
As for the installation of any traffic light or sign on US 19, Barwick noted that such would have to be cleared and coordinated with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), which had jurisdiction of the state road.
As it happened, Ryan Asmus, an FDOt representative, was at the meeting. Asmus volunteered that he didn't foresee a problem with his agency cooperating with the county on the installation of a light and signal at the crossroad, given that it involved a safety issue. He also offered other options for the caution signal, such as button, video or infrared activated signal lights.
Commissioners instructed Barwick to continue to work with Morris Petroleum on the clearing of the easement to afford motorists more visibility. As for the caution light, the board left it to Burrus to research the matter further and decide what would best serve his department's need. And they moved to request that the FDOT install an informational sign at the intersection to warn motorists of the possible exits of emergency vehicles.