Summary:
The Traffic Engineering Division of the Development and Engineering Department regularly tracks the safety of Peoria’s streets and intersections through Citywide Safety Studies, monitoring crash reports, and investigation of concerns raised by residents. Recently, there has been a significant increase in the number of crashes at the intersection of Vistancia Boulevard and Lone Mountain Road. In the five years preceding 2024, there was an average of 1.6 crashes and 0.2 injuries per year. To date, in 2024 there have been a total of six crashes with one fatality and four injuries. Five of the six crashes occurred in the three month-period from September to November.
The intersection was originally designed assuming a future signal would be installed and included sufficient pavement width and right-of-way to install an additional westbound to southbound left turn lane as part of the signal project. A traffic signal was not warranted at the time of construction, is not currently warranted, and is not expected to be warranted for many years. The following sign and marking enhancements have been provided at the intersection to increase the visibility of the all-way STOP condition (completed within last three years):
- In pavement and median-mounted STOP signs (each approach has three STOP signs)
- Marked crosswalks and STOP bars on all approaches to the intersection
- STOP AHEAD warning signs approaching the intersection
- STOP AHEAD pavement legends in each lane approaching the intersection
- STOP pavement legends in each lane in advance of the STOP bars and STOP signs
City staff continue making enhancements to the intersection in response to the volume of recent accidents. The following risk mitigation enhancements have been added or are proposed:
- Upgraded ladder style, high visibility crosswalks (Completed - November 2024)
- Refreshed all STOP and STOP AHEAD pavement legends (Completed - November 2024)
- Bright traffic barrels with retroreflective tape at base of in-pavement STOP signs (In Progress)
- Increase size of side and median-mounted STOP signs from 36” to 48” (In Progress - Public Works looking into feasibility of this concept considering wind loads. Option not recommended for in-pavement-mounted STOP signs)
- “Crosswalk Buckets” containing brightly colored flags that a pedestrian can wave while crossing the street (In Discussion - Public Works looking into feasibility of this concept)
These additional enhancements will further increase the visibility of the all-way STOP traffic control but will not mitigate the complexity of the intersection resulting from the total number of traffic lanes and the width of the intersection or the potential for high-speed angle crashes.
After consideration of several options, Development & Engineering recommends design and construction of a roundabout to address increased crash frequency and failure to yield conflicts at the intersection. Prior to 2024, the crash rate and frequency of this intersection did not identify this location as a priority and funding was not included in the capital improvement program. In order to expedite improvements at this intersection, a budget amendment is requested to prepare construction documents this fiscal year. Construction will be completed in FY2026 and funding will be programmed in the FY2026-2035 CIP budget.