No sooner had a series of pylons been installed along the center line of 183rd Street at the intersection with Center Avenue in Homewood, than reports were posted on local social media channels of drivers doing U-turns around them.
Doing a U-turn there meant drivers briefly were driving against traffic to make it back to Center.
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, a Homewood Public Works crew added a dozen pylons to the line in an effort to thwart those U-turns.
Deputy Police Chief Denise McGrath said the extension was designed “to prevent U-turns and wrong-way drivers.”
The pylons were installed in early August as part of a number of steps to make the intersection safer after a fatal crash on July 22 prompted an outcry led by residents along the busy street who complained of the speeding and other dangerous driving practices they regularly witnessed.
The pylons were placed to prevent drivers on Center from crossing 183rd Street. Center on the north does not line up at that point with Center on the south, so drivers have to cross at an angle, which could limit visibility of oncoming cars.
The pylons were also intended to prevent turns across traffic from 183rd onto Center, another situation that could contribute to crashes.