County, state discuss safety improvements on Highway 254 near school; options range from sight-line tweaks to larger intersection redesigns

County staff said they had met with the Kansas Department of Transportation and the state secretary of transportation to raise safety concerns on Highway 254 near a school and to explore interim and longer-term changes.

County Manager (name in transcript not specified) said the county asked whether an interim school-zone change during school hours was possible as a stopgap while engineering projects are considered. Staff said the state gave “pushback” on changing speed or classification for an expressway-designated segment, noting that such changes can create unintended complications, though county staff said the conversation “planted the seed” for additional safety work. The county also discussed moving a stop sign back a few feet to improve sight lines.

Public-works staff and commissioners spoke about possible countermeasures ranging from minor operational shifts — moving a stop sign a few feet to improve visibility — to larger design changes such as additional turn lanes or “J-turn” treatments. Staff cautioned that J-turns and similar access-management measures tend to reduce angle (T-bone) collisions but can increase the risk of rear-end pileups in some contexts.

The county said it will continue coordination with KDOT and local school and district officials as engineering evaluations proceed; staff noted that any lane‑configuration changes would require state approval and could be part of longer-term corridor funding efforts.