This stretch of 21st Street in Wichita will get a middle turn lane after accidents

A mile stretch of West 21st Street will be converted from a two-lane road into a three-lane road with a two-way left turn lane down the middle.

The project was proposed after crash data showed 4 out of 5 accidents that happened between 119th Street West and 135th Street West were rear-end collisions that involved drivers trying to make a left turn onto residential streets, according to city Communications Manager Megan Lovely.

The project was unanimously approved by the District 5 Advisory Board in January.

There was some concern for bicyclists and pedestrians moving along the road because this project will reduce the size of the shoulders to about five and a half feet wide. However, the Wichita Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board also supported the concept unanimously.

Steve Degenhardt from the Public Works and Utilities Department said at the District 5 Advisory Meeting that plastic bike lane barriers could be added along the shoulders to separate cyclists from traffic.

The idea was initiated by Public Works and Utilities after reviewing crash data collected over the past four years. The department determined that the existing pavement was wide enough to restripe and add left turn lanes at each residential street location.

In November, John Gregory died after an accident on this strip of road, according to KSNW. When a woman was slowing down to turn left, a car rear-ended her and she was pushed into oncoming traffic. Her car hit Gregory’s pickup, and he sustained life-threatening injuries. He was taken to the hospital, but died a few days later.

Adding a middle lane will give drivers a dedicated area to stop before turning and reduce the possibility of rear-end collisions, Lovely said.

The west half-mile of 21st Street, between 119th and 135th Streets West, is in the unincorporated area of Sedgwick County. The Wichita City Council decided Tuesday to enter into an agreement that the county would be in charge of maintaining the west half-mile of unincorporated land, while Wichita will be in charge of the east half-mile.

The work for this project will be undertaken by the city and cost about $100,000. A start date hasn’t been determined, but the project will take 7 to 10 days to complete, according to Lovely. The contractor will begin looking at the road this summer.

This story was originally published May 24, 2023 at 5:23 AM.