Griffith eyes traffic at busy intersection; still taking donations for Harvey victims

GRIFFITH — Solving a longtime traffic problem at a major intersection has been moved to the front burner, the Town Council said.

The board unanimously approved a contract with Butler, Fairman and Seufert to study and count the traffic flow at Main and Broad streets.

The study will be performed for about $11,000, said Council President Rick Ryfa, R-3rd.

The Indianapolis-based firm will do vehicle counts on both roads at the intersection during morning and evening rush hours, Ryfa said.

"We'll try to improve the flow of traffic at that intersection," he said of the study's purpose. "It's an offset intersection, which makes it more difficult."

The study will begin immediately and be complete within two months, he added.

Ryfa said the council hopes to equip the intersection with state-of-the-art traffic signals.

Such a system would direct both left and right hand turns "and also work with traffic that has built up from the trains," Ryfa said.

Traffic is frequently backed up past the intersection on Broad from the busy crossing a block to the south.

Moving this traffic might be accomplished by placing sensors into the road several hundred feet from the intersection, Ryfa said.

Pressure on these sensors from stationary vehicles  would tell the system that traffic is backed up from a train.

In such cases, the system could arrange longer green lights to clear the traffic faster after the train has passed.

In other business, Councilwoman Melissa Robbins, R-4, said residents have until Oct. 8 to offer private donations to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey.

"We are accepting donations at Town Hall," she said.

She also noted that almost $3,000 was collected at the Labor Day weekend's Rock 'N' Rail festival.

"We will present a check to the Lions Clubs International on behalf of the town of Griffith Lions Club" to aid the storm victims, Ryfa said.

Ryfa noted that the Lions Clubs International sent a $10,000 donation to help residents during the Griffith flood several years ago and another $5,000 in 2008 after a tornado struck the town.