STOP SIGNS ON 14 TO SLOW TRAFFIC.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

MOJAVE - At the urging of state lawmakers, four-way stop signs are in place at a Highway 14 intersection where there has been nearly 60 crashes in the past four years.

In response to concerns voiced by Assemblyman Bill Maze, R-Visalia, and state Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, stop signs were placed at Highway 14 at California City Boulevard on Thursday as an interim measure until a new interchange can be built.

The interchange, part of a $50 million widening project for Highway 14, is expected to be completed in 2006.

``We want them (north- and southbound vehicles) to pay attention to the cross traffic and stop,'' said Caltrans spokeswoman Sherri Martin.

California Highway Patrol officials pledged to watch motorists at the intersection over the weekend. As of Friday afternoon no problems were reported.

``We want to make sure they obey the signs,'' said Officer Manuel Avila.

Before the new stop signs were installed, motorists traveling on Highway 14 did not have to stop, but motorists on California City Boulevard had stop signs.

Motorists leaving California City and heading south had to stop at a stop sign for the two northbound lanes of Highway 14.

After crossing the northbound lanes, vehicles had to make a complete stop again in the highway median before turning onto the two southbound lanes.

But some motorists failed to stop for the second stop sign, or turned into the wrong lanes, or thought that oncoming traffic must stop as well.

Since 1999, when the center median was added, there have been 59 crashes at the intersection. The latest fatal collision occurred April 13 when a Rosamond couple was killed and four other people werev injured when their car was hit by a big rig while they were trying to cross the northbound lanes of Highway 14.

The intersection's deadliest crash occurred in 1994, when four Los Angeles-area residents were killed when a car turning onto the freeway was hit by a van.

In 1999, Caltrans completed a $1.45 million widening project, including the addition of a median separating the northbound from the southbound lanes. Officials hoped that would make it easier for motorists to turn left onto the highway from California City Boulevard - because they would need to cross in front of traffic from only one direction at a time.

Additional traffic signs were added to help guide motorists.

Caltran officials say they are trying to expedite construction of the interchange, which will be part of a project to widen a 10-mile stretch of Highway 14.

Plans for the project have been prepared and offers made on about 90 percent of the 140 parcels of land Caltrans will need to do the project.

Caltrans' plan is to start construction in mid- or late 2004, and the work will take two years to complete.