A dangerous intersection in Licking County has been converted to a four-way stop because of efforts by a Worthington man whose wife and mother-in-law died there in October.
The Ohio Department of Transportation yesterday completed safety changes at Rt. 310 and Morse Road near Lynd Fruit Farm.
The department plans to install a traffic signal at the crossroads next summer after working with utility companies to relocate several lines.
Dean Johnson, 57, said he doesn't view the conversion as a victory. "There is no vindication because my wife's gone.
"What is extremely positive is that ODOT has looked within themselves and seen what they were doing was wrong," he said. "There's no telling how many lives will be saved because of this."
ODOT spokesman Brian Cunningham said the department made the changes in response to "some legitimate concerns and issues" raised by Johnson.
"It's not traditionally an approach we've taken," Cunningham said of the interim safety measures. "In the future, we'll have to look at each issue individually."
Johnson's wife, Sandy, 46, and her mother, 71-year-old Jacqueline Ebert-Routch of Columbus, died in a three-car crash Oct. 5 on their way to pick apples at a fruit farm.
At the time of the crash, motorists on Rt. 310 were not required to stop at the intersection. Stop signs were posted for Morse Road drivers.
Now, drivers on Rt. 310 and Morse Road see stop signs and red flashing lights at the intersection.
After his wife's death, Johnson created a foundation in her name to heighten awareness of dangerous roadways and to pressure officials for improvements. He met with transportation officials recently and proposed converting the intersection to a four-way stop.
Johnson said the foundation's work will not end with changes at one intersection.
"We're hoping by next spring to start adding states" to the foundation's Web site with information about dangerous roadways outside Ohio, he said. "We're miles and years from being done."
The Licking County intersection has been on the transportation department's list of the 200 most dangerous accident sites since 1998.
Motorists heading east on Morse Road have difficulty seeing southbound Rt. 310 traffic because of a two-story house on the northwest corner of the crossroads, according to state engineers' studies.
The majority of crashes at the intersection involve eastbound Morse Road drivers who pull in front of southbound traffic on Rt. 310.
The Sandy Johnson Foundation launched a Web site yesterday with information about dangerous roadways in Ohio. The foundation is seeking suggestions about hazardous areas worthy of investigation. The site is at www.sandyjohnsonfoundation.org.
