2 Tricky Vernon Intersections Now Feature Stop Sign Warnings

VERNON, CT — Quick question for Vernon motorists ... Have you noticed the large warning signs just before two intersections in town?

The question might be rhetorical because it's kinda hard to miss 'em if you're driving there.

The signs have been placed at the Tunnel Road-Warren Avenue-Valley Falls Road intersection along with the West Street-Route 30 area. They both have tricky sight lines and drivers have a propensity for speeding at both locations.

The new signs are part of a new Connecticut Department of Transportation initiative to make "existing unsignalized state owned and maintained single-lane, higher crash risk, public roadway intersections" safer. In the case of the Tunnel Road area, cars are constantly jockeying for position to get through a one-lane tunnel. The Route 30-West Road fork has a history of high-speed crashes.

Large dual warning signs — blank stop sign outlines inside bright yellow triangles accentuated with big black arrows — have been placed on each side of the roads at the intersections, just prior to a pair of large dual stop signs.

The DOT announced the project in October.

"The objective of the project is to lower the future potential of crashes at the identified intersections," DOT officials said.

DOT crews have also refreshed the painted stop bars at the intersections.

Tunnel Road is also known as state Route 533. West Road is also known as state route 527. Route 30 is known locally as Hartford turnpike.