Both lanes open for downtown traffic
For the first time in nearly four months, traffic flowed freely in downtown Hillsboro.
On Tuesday, construction workers removed the barriers that had been limiting traffic to one side at a time since May. And even though no lines had been painted on the smooth black asphalt at that time, drivers appeared to be enjoying the new situation, complete with black vintage lamp posts.
But drivers, don't take that deep sigh of relief just yet. Because now you face a four-way stop — and the police will make sure you obey it.
Police officers stopped at least two or three people Tuesday who had chosen to "roll" through the stop signs instead of truly stopping. That's according to Hillsboro Police Chief Dan Kinning.
Some drivers were treating the intersection as a place to slow down, not stop, he said.
And for that reason, Hillsboro police will continue to watch the intersection closely for now.
"We'll monitor it for awhile and see how it goes," Kinning said.
As of Wednesday, there had been no accidents at the intersection, which featured a stoplight until the Main Street construction project began.
Kinning also said that drivers should stop behind the "island" that holds the stop sign. Even though the crosswalks weren't painted in at press time, when they are, cars shouldn't stop on top of them.
Although technically, according to Kansas law, if the crosswalks weren't marked the driver would be required to stop at the curb line.
"It makes it confusing," Kinning said.
