A busy Tooele intersection near Wal-Mart with a homemade stop sign is not being regulated by Tooele City, according to city Director of Public Works Cary Campbell.

The intersection between 1180 North and 100 West comes at the top of a hill and is a frequent thoroughfare for shoppers and residents in the area. But stop signs at the intersection can be confusing. Along 1180 North heading west there is an official stop sign with a tag underneath that indicates a three-way stop. Heading south on 200 West, however, the stop is marked by a sheet of plywood cut out in an octagonal shape and painted to look like a stop sign. And for eastbound drivers on 1180 North there’s no stop sign at all.

The problem of so many mixed traffic messages stems from ownership of the street. Although it is paved and may look like a city street, when you drive on 1180 North you are on private property. According to Campbell, the intersection and 1180 North are not city property but private property. Thus the city does not maintain the road or the stop signs.

“1180 North from Main to 100 West is owned jointly by Quality Ford and the strip mall to the north — split roughly down the middle,” Campbell said. “When you get to the intersection, the road ahead that goes to the west is owned by Bob McIntyre, who developed the Tooele Gateway subdivision, and to the north the road is owned by Wal-Mart.

City police would respond to any accident at the intersection, said Lt. Paul Wimmer of the Tooele City Police Department.

“We would primarily facilitate the exchange of information between drivers,” Wimmer said. “We would be unable to cite anybody for a stop sign violation and would probably not write a ticket unless there was evidence of another violation like a DUI or reckless driving.”

Private streets within city limits are not that unusual, according to Campbell.

“Most private streets occur in residential subdivisions,” Campbell said. “This one is different and perhaps unique in our city as it is in a busy commercial area.”

The original development plan for the area did not call for the street to be dedicated to the city. If the property owners want to give the road to the city they would first have to bring the road up to city code, which would involve widening the road and improving the road base, according to Campbell.

Tim Gillie: tgillie@tooeletranscript.com