Wrecks bring scrutiny to street corner

Two collisions in recent weeks at the intersection of North Pine Street and Barclay Drive in the Sisters Industrial Park have drawn scrutiny to the intersection.

In both cases, drivers failed to stop at the stop sign on Pine Street, causing collisions with cars traveling through on Barclay Drive. The accidents were serious, with vehicles flipping over, though they did not cause significant injuries.

City of Sisters Public Works Director Paul Bertagna told Deschutes County Patrol Lieutenant Ty Rupert last week that the City is doing some extra stop striping and advance signage to alert drivers to the upcoming stop.

It is unclear why there have been two major accidents at the intersection in recent weeks, when there hasn't been a serious collision there in years. However, Bertagna noted, with the installation of the roundabout at Barclay Drive and Highway 20 and the utilization of an alternate route through the industrial park more people appear to be using Barclay Drive.

"Traffic patterns are changing," he said.