Mayors of two cities ask KDOT to improve safety along this Kansas highway
The mayors of Bel Aire and Kechi are letting the Kansas Department of Transportation know what their cities need as the state considers how to improve a two-mile stretch of K-254, a primary commuter road for the two suburbs.
Bel Aire Mayor Jim Benage said K-254 from Rock Road to Greenwich Road has needed improvements for a long time.
“We’ve been working with this for about 10 years ... and I’ve been involved since day one,” Benage told The Eagle. “I would like to see some shovels on the ground to make this thing happen so we can protect our citizens and residents, because we just have too many bad accidents along there.”
Improving K-254 would not only increase safety, but also encourage future growth, Kechi Mayor Joanie Harris told The Eagle.
“We do know more things are happening along the corridor, and so we do believe there’s great future growth and development opportunities that could come if we can get K-254 moving forward towards urbanization,” Harris said.
In a letter, Benage and Harris recommended KDOT move forward with a diverging diamond interchange at Webb Road, an overpass on Rock Road and a restricted crossing U-Turn option with right in/right out lanes at Greenwich Road. These recommendations were taken from different alternatives KDOT presented at an open house in June.
A diverging diamond interchange has less conflict points than the traditional diamond design. It directs traffic to the left side between two traffic lights and then transitions to the right after the traffic lights. The restricted crossing U-Turn directs drivers on a minor road to turn right on the main road and then approach a designated U-turn area in order to turn left.
“Both Mayor Harris and I talked with our residents and our city councils, and kicked some ideas around and stuff, and talked about other thoughts and concerns,” Benage said. “We just felt like (this was) the best consensus.”
Possible changes coming to K-254
KDOT presented these options in June:
Option 1: Add an overpass at Rock Road over K-254, a diverging diamond interchange at Webb Road over the highway and offset right-turn lanes on each side of K-254 at Greenwich Road.
Option 2: Add right-in/right-out turn lanes on each side of K-254 at Rock Road, a diverging diamond interchange over K-254 at Webb Road and a restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT) at Greenwich Road.
Options 3 and 4 are similar: Add diverging diamond interchanges at Greenwich Road and offset right-turn lanes on Webb Road. One proposes an overpass on Rock Road while the other proposes right-in/right-out turn lanes.
Harris and Benage’s letter recommended the first option, with the second option for Greenwich, as the best case scenario for the two suburbs.
Rock’s connection was of importance to Kechi.
“For continuity of the City of Kechi, we cannot close the connection Rock Road provides north to south. The bridge overpass is the only reasonable way to do this and not negatively impact the Woodlawn/Kechi Rd overpass interchange area with increased traffic volume,” the letter reads. “Especially with a Casey’s committed to be built just west of the overpass interchange with diesel fuel pumps.”
Harris said she has heard positives from residents.
“They’re very hopeful that we will get that north-south overpass that gives residents options, and it also opens up more development opportunity north of K-254 on the Kechi side, so there’s another way to enter Kechi from Rock Road,” Harris said.
A concern also has been brought to Harris: “I did hear from a resident who is not pleased with that recommendation that we’ve made for Rock Road, who happens to have property adjacent to where the overpass would be built, and I understand that it’s (a) hard decision to make because this has been a rural . . . area for many years, and growth brings challenges.”
“You want to be able to please everyone, and yet we also have to look at making decisions. What is best for the greater good of the area, and safety is a very high priority.”
Benage acknowledged that there may not be a perfect decision.
“Everything has a trade-off. Some would favor an interchange at Greenwich rather than Webb . . . but you got to settle on something,” Benage said.
The letter also presented an eventual need for an additional interchange at Greenwich and asked KDOT to prioritize bike and walking paths.
“Rock Road would be a route that students could safely cross K-254 to get to school at Northeast Magnet High School and the possibility of younger students with a safe route to Isely K-8,” the letter reads.
The final design for the project is set to be approved this fall, while the construction timeline is dependent on when funding becomes available. The timeline for public comment has already passed.
