Traffic light sought at West Fifth, Elm Street

By CALEB FREY

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – One of the most dangerous intersections in LaPlace received a much-needed addition in the form of a new four-way stop nearly a month ago and the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office is pleased with the results they’ve seen thus far.

The parish added stop signs to both sides of Elm Street at the intersection it shares with West Fifth. Elm Street is a popular thruway from Airline Highway to West Fifth and subsequently River Road, which runs through much of the River Parishes.

Before the new stop signs were erected, Lt. Troy Cassioppi of the St. John Sheriff’s Traffic Division said that the intersection of Fifth and Elm was probably one of the top five most dangerous intersections in St. John, but even the stop sign was more of a pacifier than a permanent solution.

&#8220I think ideally the parish had lobbied for a red light,” Cassioppi said. &#8220This was a compromise, but I think it’s going well so far.”

Cassioppi said that accidents at the intersection are down since the stop was installed, but that doesn’t mean the Sheriff’s Office can rest easy on the issue.

&#8220It’s taken the motorists a little time to get used to the stop, so we’re giving them a grace period for right now,” Cassioppi said. &#8220But we will be out there in the next couple weeks to enforce it.”