Over a month has passed since the Barton County Commission voted to make changes to the speed limit and signage at the intersection of North Washington Street and Northeast 30 Road. The changes resulted from a fatal vehicle accident that happened at the intersection in April involving a teenager from Hoisington High School.
Barton County Engineer Barry McManaman says County crews increased the size and reflectiveness of the signs.
Barry McManaman Audio
The County also placed stop bars, large lines to indicate where to stop, on Northeast 30 Road or Juco Road. McManaman says if traffic stopping on Juco Road get the front of their vehicles at the stop bars then their vision should be good enough to see oncoming traffic. The speed limit was also reduced from 55 miles per hour to 45 on Washington.
Although there was community support to place a four-way stop at the intersection, McManaman says the placement of four-way stops is based on traffic volume. If anything, the number of vehicles traveling through that intersection has decreased over the years.
Barry McManaman Audio
Kansas Department of Transportation has conducted traffic studies on the intersection since the 1970s. The study shows the amount of traffic on Washington Street, south of 30th Road, recorded over 2,800 vehicles on a day in 1987. KDOT recorded daily traffic another time in 2012, and saw 2,075 vehicles come through.