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Committee authorizes staff to seek TDOT approval for 'Do Not Block' markings at Main Street/Sanders Ferry
Summary
After residents said Clearview Circle is frequently blocked by queuing traffic, the committee authorized public works to request Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) approval to add pavement markings or hatch marks to discourage blocking the intersection at Main Street/Sanders Ferry; staff will pursue TDOT approval and proceed if granted.
Residents from Clearview Circle told the Public Works Committee that traffic queuing on Main Street at the Sanders Ferry signal often prevents them from safely exiting their subdivision.
Residents described repeated blockages, including an incident they said prevented an ambulance from entering the neighborhood. "Traffic just keeps getting worse... we take our lives in our hands getting out of our subdivision," said a resident who lives on Clearview Circle. Residents asked whether the side of Clearview could be brought out to signalized Sanders Ferry intersection, or at minimum whether pavement markings such as "Do Not Block Intersection" or hatch markings could be installed.
Staff noted Main Street is state right-of-way and any pavement markings must be approved by the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The traffic engineer indicated pavement markings could be installed based on the MUTCD interpretation, but the committee heard concerns that adding markings might increase collisions in a multi-lane area and that hatch marks might be cleaner than worded pavement messages. Staff recommended coordinating with TDOT and presenting options such as hatch marks or worded markings for TDOT review.
The committee voted to authorize Public Works to discuss the proposed striping with TDOT and, if TDOT approves, to install the markings. That authorization included direction that the striping be considered temporary while Old Shackle construction continues and that the city petition TDOT for any necessary permanent changes once construction is complete. The committee noted the pavement marking cost would be modest (staff estimate $3,000to$5,000) but would require TDOT concurrence because the road is state-controlled.
The motion passed on a committee vote. Staff will submit a request to TDOT, return with TDOT feedback, and if approved schedule pavement marking work and a related spending ordinance for committee review.
