“You have to go around the clock tower to get to your destination. You can't just cut through traffic.”

— Moses Lake Police Dept. Capt. Adam Monroe

MOSES LAKE — Drivers traveling through downtown Moses Lake's clock intersection should first treat it as a four-way stop and then navigate around the clock as they would a roundabout, according to Moses Lake Police Department Capt. Adam Monroe.

The intersection, centered around the city's iconic clock, has long generated questions from motorists. While many drivers travel to the right around the clock before reaching their destination, others attempt to make direct left turns through the intersection.

Monroe said that is not the correct way to navigate the area.

“You have to go around the clock tower to get to your destination,” Monroe said. “You can't just cut through traffic.”

For example, Monroe said a driver traveling west who wants to head south cannot simply make a direct left turn through the intersection.

“If you're making a left-hand turn as you're traveling east, you have to go around to the west and then turn to the north,” he said. “You can't just cut across.”

Because the intersection is also a four-way stop,  drivers must come to a complete stop and yield appropriately before proceeding around the clock.

When multiple vehicles arrive at the intersection at the same time, Monroe said standard four-way stop rules apply.

“Always yield to the right,” he said. “The driver to the right of you has the right of way.”

Monroe said drivers who choose to ignore the established traffic pattern and make an improper turn could be cited.

“There is a violation for improper lane travel or an improper turn,” he said.

Asked whether a motorist could receive a ticket for turning left instead of traveling around the clock, Monroe replied, “Correct.”

The captain said officers investigating a collision at the intersection would examine how each vehicle was traveling through the area and whether drivers were following the proper traffic pattern.

“They'd analyze the travel that that person was going and if they were in the proper lane or not,” Monroe said.

Drivers also should exercise caution when entering the intersection and avoid interfering with other traffic.

“You have to safely travel through that intersection and not impede other vehicles,” Monroe said.