Busy Bluffton intersection is about to get a lot safer for kids who play just steps away

BLUFFTON, Sc. (WTOC) - A four-way stop is being installed at the intersection of Lawrence and Boundary streets in Bluffton, near DuBois Park, Martin Family Park, and several schools.

Crews are expected to add signs and pavement markings over the next few days.

Town officials said the new four-way stop is designed to reduce vehicle speeds and improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists traveling through the busy intersection.

Bluffton Residents Grace Chatman and Claire Goff visit the park regularly throughout the week. They welcome the new stops as they watch kids run around the enclosed park.

“If you’re stopping at a stop sign, it’s easier to see kids playing,” Chatman said.

Chatman added there are several exits to get out of the park though. Sometimes kids will get out and Goff said they will run across the street into bushes.

“The kids tend to run around over there and go behind the bushes, and at least this way you know at some point a car will stop and be slowing to see them,” Goff said.

Brittany Cushman, a Port Royal resident who visits the park with her daughter, said the fence is a great idea that keeps kids safe but there are chances it doesn’t.

“My daughter can climb over this fence, she could easily go over there and cross the road,” Cushman said. “Hopefully that wouldn’t happen because I try to keep my eye on her, but it’s not impossible for that to happen.”

Cushman added it’s a practical measure given the mix of families and school traffic in the area.

“Either they’re coming here with their families or it’s the school and I just think it’s a good idea to have a four-way stop for extra safety, especially, you know, I think of my daughter,” she said.