City concerned with intersection at U.S. 75 and Columbine Drive

The potential for — and the occurrence of — traffic accidents at the intersection of U.S. Highway 75 and Columbine Drive near Holton Community Hospital has resulted in a recommendation to the Holton City Commission to work with hospital and Jackson County officials to get the Kansas Department of Transportation to take action on that intersection.

During the city commission’s regular meeting on Monday, hospital CEO Carrie Saia made a formal request to send letters from city and hospital officials to KDOT to have the speed limit reduced at that intersection. The speed limit there is currently 65 miles per hour, it was noted.

The addition of a southbound turn lane at that intersection also was suggested on Monday. Currently, there is a turn lane from northbound U.S. 75 onto Columbine Drive from the highway, commissioners noted.

The impetus for Saia’s request was a two-vehicle traffic accident at that intersection in October that resulted in injuries to both drivers, including a Holton resident. The accident, involving a pickup and a United Parcel Service-owned semitrailer, “could have been worse than it was,” Saia said.

“One of our patients was coming in,” Saia said of the October accident. “When you go up against a UPS semitrailer, you usually don’t win.”

Other traffic accidents have occurred at that intersection in previous years, with one particular accident occurring in January 2014. At that time, it was reported, a passenger car crossed the center line of U.S. 75 into the path of a semitrailer, and the car’s driver received severe injuries.

Saia said she had talked with Holton City Manager Bret Bauer about writing letters on behalf of the city and the hospital to KDOT officials in regard to reducing the speed limit at the intersection to 45 miles per hour.

“If we write a formal letter, would you write something in conjunction with that?” she asked commissioners. “I’ve had a lot of comments from the community about that intersection. We want to be proactive in trying to make it safer for our community.”

Commissioner Erich Campbell, noting that he would also like to see extra turn lanes from southbound U.S. 75 onto Columbine and from the highway into the nearby Holton Industrial Park, said the city has no jurisdiction on that particular stretch of U.S. 75.

“We get blamed for everything on that highway, but we have no authority to do anything,” Campbell said. “But since I’ve been here, we’ve discussed that issue... Whatever you need, I’m pretty sure we will agree to assist you in any way possible.”

Also lending support was Commissioner Dan Brenner, who noted that KDOT had also taken action to reduce the speed limit on Kansas Highway 4 through Meriden due to fatality accidents along that road. Brenner also noted that Meriden city officials had “some political support” in getting K-4’s speed reduced and pledged to contact state legislators toward getting U.S. 75’s speed reduced at Columbine Drive.

“We want to be proactive, not reactive,” Brenner added. “We don’t want to wait for a traffic fatality to happen... We’re on your side.”

Brenner also suggested getting Jackson County officials involved in the drive to reduce the speed on U.S. 75 in front of the hospital — a suggestion backed up by Holton attorney J. Richard Lake, who is a member of the Holton Community Hospital board of directors.

Lake noted that if a petition drive were started to get KDOT to perform a traffic study there, more signatures on the petition, particularly at the county level, would be helpful.

 “If we’re working in conjunction, rather than separately, your letter and our letter, that brings more strength to it,” Lake said. “The more names you have on something, the more votes we’re talking about... It’s Holton citizens and Jackson County citizens who are being endangered.”

Lake also offered to “put something together” and review it with Jackson County Counselor Alex Morrissey, with the city’s blessing. However, Saia reminded commissioners that she would prefer action being taken as quickly as possible, and commissioners asked whether they should take binding action prior to the next commission meeting, set for Monday, Dec. 7.

Bauer said city staff could draft a letter of support for Saia’s suggestion on behalf of the commission, adding that such a letter would not necessarily require the commissioners’ signature.

Assistant City Manager Kerwin McKee also added his support to getting KDOT to conduct a traffic safety study on U.S. 75 at Columbine Drive, citing another study conducted at Banner Road at the entrance to the new Walmart, currently under construction. That particular study resulted in changes to the speed limit along U.S. 75 at the southern edge of Holton, it was reported.