Temporary Four-Way Intersections will Continue

BEDFORD, NH - Chief John Bryfonski and the Bedford Police Department announce that two temporary four-way stops will remain in place through the end of the current school semester.

On Monday, May 16, 2016, the intersections at Nashua Road and County Road, in front of Bedford High School, and the intersection of Liberty Hill Road and County Road, in front of McKelvie School, became temporary four-way stop intersections.

This occurred as a result of a recommendation by the Bedford Highway Safety Committee to conduct engineering studies of both intersections in order to explore solutions to traffic congestion and crashes. This included an initial two-week period to evaluate temporary four-way stop intersections at both locations, which began on May 16.

After consulting with Bedford school officials, the Bedford Police Department, the Bedford Department of Public Works and an engineering consultant, decided to extend the temporary four-way stop at both intersections through the end of the current school semester. This will give the Highway Safety Committee time to review the full report make its recommendation for a more permanent solution.

Preliminary evaluations indicated some improvement in traffic flow at the intersection of Nashua Road and County Road. However, there is still some congestion at the intersection of Liberty Hill and County Road due to student drop-off and pick-up at McKelvie School, but officials believe the four-way stop will mitigate the high number of crashes that occur at the intersection.

"Safety is our number one priority at both of these intersections," Chief Bryfonski said. "We remind everyone traveling through these intersections that they must come to a complete stop even if you are taking a right turn. Please also remember that the person in the intersection, or who arrives first at an empty intersection, has the right-of-way. If two or more vehicles arrive at the same time, the vehicle on the right always has the right-of-way."

Chief Bryfonski also reminds drivers that there is no stopping, standing or parking on County Road and Liberty Hill Road in the vicinity of McKelvie School. Parents must avoid stopping on County Road to wait to enter the McKelvie campus, as it presents a safety hazard at the intersection.

To learn more about the rules of the road at four-way stop intersections, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website.

Submitted by the Bedford Police Department.