Cookeville traffic engineers have restricted right turns on red at the courthouse square intersections.
Greg Brown is the Cookeville Public Works Director.
“We had been discussing ways that might help alleviate traffic problems around the square,” Brown said. “We thought we would try to see if this helps somewhat.”
Brown said many drivers attempt to turn right on red at the intersections, which causes traffic to stack up.
“There’s such a short stacking distance that it makes it worse,” Brown said. “This isn’t going to cure the problem by any means, but we thought it might help ith the traffic flow a little bit.”
Brown said inbound right turns will be restricted between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. when a red traffic light is displayed.
Cookeville Police Captain Bobby Anderson said enforcement efforts will start with a friendly reminder, but may result in a fine of up to $163.75 for those who fail to heed the warning.
Employees with the public works department installed signs warning of the restrictions on Wednesday.