JOHN COFFELTContributor

Coffee County Sheriff Chad Partin disagreed at the Dec. 5 meeting of the Capital Outlay Committee with an assessment by County Mayor Dennis Hunt on future traffic control measures at the Highway 41, 127 intersection in Hillsboro.

Partin suggested future upgrades are needed to the light and control box, while Hunt suggested the light be replaced with a four-way stop similar to the one in Pelham.

Partin disagreed, saying that Highway 127 is busier than the intersecting road in Pelham and that a four-way stop would result in a significant traffic hazard and could lead to loss of life.

Hunt said he was in talks with the Tennessee Department of Transportation about the intersection. He said that there is no room to make a turning lane at the intersection and that school buses have difficulty turning onto Highway 41.

Partin said that his concerns are with the overall flow of traffic and in his estimation a four-way stop will result in traffic fatalities. 

“We don’t have the fatality rate on that intersection for a reason,” Partin said. “It has been difficult for me all my life turning left (there) with a truck and trailer, but I think a four-way stop sign both directions could cause some damage down the road.”

Partin said new sensors on the red light would help prevent school bus delays for the school buses. He estimated that a modern stop light could prioritize school bus traffic after school.