Northwest intersection to see improvements after fatal accidents. Here’s when and where
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Sedgwick County will convert 135th Street West & 29th Street North to a four-way stop
- Officials report at least 16 accidents in five years and two fatalities since 2022
- Commissioners cite rural roads turning commuter routes and call for safer traffic controls
An intersection near Maize will be converted to a four-way stop after two fatal crashes in recent years.
The intersection at 135th Street West and 29th Street North, currently a two-way stop, will be converted after the Sedgwick County Commission approved the change Wednesday.
“I think the challenge that I have in District 3 is very apparent where we have rural roads that are becoming commuter roads,” Commissioner Stephanie Wise, who represents the area, said at a staff meeting last week.
Two people have been killed at the intersection since 2022.
A Wichita woman died in August. Initial reports said she failed to stop at the signs that are already posted at the intersection – critically injuring a Maize mother and her three kids.
In 2022, 22-year-old Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Deputy Sidnee Carter was hit and killed at the intersection when she was headed to a disturbance call in the area.
Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter said at a news conference in August, that the intersection has seen at least sixteen accidents in the past five years. Fourteen of those accidents were caused by a “failure to yield,” he said.
“I grew up in that area. Those used to be dirt roads,” Easter said at the news conference. “Because Wichita has grown to the west, there’s a lot more traffic now that takes place.
The new stop signs are likely to be placed by the end of the month, according to the county.
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 1:55 PM.