Straightening Collinsville's " S" curve

Tuesdayâ€™s vote in Tulsa County on the "4 to Fix" sales tax includes a proposition on road improvements. There are 17 projects on the list - totaling almost $22-million. <br/><br/>Collinsville is counting

Monday, December 12th 2005, 11:19 am

By: News On 6

Tuesdayâ€™s vote in Tulsa County on the "4 to Fix" sales tax includes a proposition on road improvements. There are 17 projects on the list - totaling almost $22-million.

Collinsville is counting on it passing, in order to take a dangerous curve out. News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan says traffic on the west side of Collinsville flows through two curves where accidents are not uncommon.

Collinsville resident Ray Pennington: "It gets confusing to people coming in here who have never been here, you don't know if you're going around the curve or what the difference is." The confusion at the Collinsville "S" curve wouldn't matter if it wasn't the busiest path into town. It connects state Highway 20 with Collinsville's main street, through a series of yield and turn and stop signs. When cars get into the intersection that's when the problems start. The confusion comes from the 6 different ways cars come into the intersection. It's a very busy road and a lot of cars and trucks come through Collinsville this way.

"I've had to stop almost in the middle of the street to keep from hitting people." Betty Shirley drives the "S" curve in her daycare van and says she's had several close calls. "A lot of people don't realize we don't have a stop sign and they start to go across."

The curve will be straightened if the roads portion of "4 to Fix the County" passes. It would raise $2-million to widen and straighten the Collinsville curve. Collinsvilleâ€™s mayor Stan Sallee: "we've haven't gotten any major transportation improvements in 20 or 30 years."

Sallee hopes "4 to Fix" passes, because he thinks the "S" curve is an economic dead end for the town. The change would turn it into a four lane gentle curve that should be safer - and less confusing - for everyone.

The polls in Tulsa County are open until 7 PM.