Due to a large number of accidents over the years, traffic signals will be installed at two intersections in DeKalb.

State Senator Patrick Welch, D-LaSalle-Peru, announced Nov. 9 the Illinois Department of Transportation will begin installing traffic signals this spring at Fourth and Locust streets and also at Lincoln Highway and Peace Road.

“These are all projects whcih my constituents have asked me about and which I am glad to see are going to be done,” Welch said. “When completed, all three projects will be an improvement for DeKalb.”

Estimates engineer Duane Moser of the Department of Transportation said the two intersections are “red spots,” meaning the four-lane, four-way stop with left turning lanes is a high-accident area.

Studies over the years have shown that we must minimize the danger of the two intersections,” Moser said.

IDOT opened bids last Friday and several companies have already presented their bids for the installation of traffic signals at the two DeKalb locations.

Moser estimated the cost of installing traffic lights at Fourth and Locust streets to be about $46,000. The Rockford Blacktop Construction Co. of Loves Park, Ill., has offered a $52,890 bid, but IDOT is still receiving bids.

Virgil Cook and Sons have offered a $74,220 bid for the scheduled work at Lincoln Highway and Peace Roads. Their bid is still going through the review process and Moser estimated the cost to be about $75,000.

The installments are part of a larger project which costs more than $345,000 and includes paving, curb and gutter work on various routes in Oglesby, a town southwest of LaSalle-Peru.