After drivers raise safety concerns about 2 intersections, here’s what’s planned
Sedgwick County officials have launched a traffic study to improve conditions at two intersections after residents raised safety concerns about both.
Those intersections are 21st Street and 167th Street out west and 79th Street and Greenwich Road in the southeast part of the county. Both have historically seen a large number of accidents, said Tania Cole, Sedgwick County assistant manager, at a media briefing Wednesday.
County Commissioner David Dennis said he has received about 50 emails regarding safety issues at 21st and 167th, which lies in his District 3.
“It’s important that we listen to the public,” Dennis said. “Because they have to go through these intersections each and every day.”
Lynn Packer, the interim director of public works and the county engineer, said it will be several weeks before the county has a better picture of what safety measures are needed.
“Getting the data and formulating what it’s telling us is the first part of that.” Packer said. “Coming up with a recommendation based on that is the next step.”
Here’s a look at both intersections.
21st Street and 167th Sreet
The intersection of 21st Street and 167th Street W has seen 50 accidents over the last 10 years, according to the sheriff’s office. Of those 50, three resulted in deaths, 11 in injuries and 36 in no injuries, according to Sedgwick County undersheriff Brian White.
“These serious accidents are caused by people running the stop sign that’s on 167th and 21st Street,” Dennis said. “Once you run that stop sign at high speeds, and traffic on 21st is running at high speeds, there’s going to be a serious accident.”
Packer said the county is “looking at both short-term actions and long-term recommendations. The study that we’re conducting will basically result in any long-term recommendations.”
Packer said the last official traffic study was done in 2019 for 21st and 167th. That study did not result in changes to traffic safety devices at the time.
The intersection now has stops signs with “cross traffic does not stop” placards, light beacons mounted on top of the signs and “stop ahead” signs before a driver reaches the intersection.
Among changes that have already been made or will go up this week are reflectors for the stop signs and additional “stop ahead” signs on both sides of 167th Street, Packer said.
Intersection warning signs will go up on 21st Street as well, Packer added.
79th Street and Greenwich Road
The intersection at 79th Street and Greenwich Road has had 42 accidents, one resulting in a fatality, 15 in injuries and 26 in no injuries, White said.
No official traffic study has been done for the intersection, but the county has informally reviewed crash data and traffic volume in the area, Packer said.
Recommendations that came out of the informal study include increasing the size of the stop signs in 2012 and adding flashing light beacons on top of those stop signs that sit on both sides of Greenwich Road, according to Packer.
“The vast majority of these accidents is human error,” said District 5 Commissioner Jim Howell. “If people want to be safe, the thing they could do is be more of a defensive driver.”
Howell referred to a crash that happened Tuesday at the intersection, when a driver did not stop at the posted stop sign.
“For some reason a southbound vehicle did not stop at the 48-inch stop sign that had a red flashing beacon on it. I don’t why that happened,” Howell said. “Things were in place for the driver to see that stop sign.”
This story was originally published January 25, 2023 at 7:14 PM.