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Polk County committee approves rumble strips at County Road I and State Highway 48 after resident support and staff discussion
Summary
After public comment from Bone Lake supervisor Nancy Badoon and a staff presentation of countermeasures and crash data, the committee approved installing transverse rumble strips at the County Road I/State Highway 48 intersection and directed the Highway Department to return with design and cost estimates.
Polk County’s Public Works Committee voted to install transverse rumble strips on County Road I at State Highway 48 after hearing public comment and staff analysis.
Nancy Badoon, supervisor for the town of Bone Lake, told the committee that she had gathered signatures from nearby residents and said, "The overwhelming majority of people in the town of Bone Lake and near that intersection are in favour of installing rumble strips." Badoon asked whether she should give her signed petitions to the secretary.
Highway Department staff briefed the committee on prior countermeasures already in place at the intersection — oversize signs, reflective sheeting, and recently installed spinning reflective devices — and reported that they had consulted the Traffic Safety Commission and a state traffic engineer. Staff said the state preferred orange flags on stop-ahead signs rather than larger stop signs or spinners at the stop signs themselves. The presenter also cited federal design guidance, saying rumble strips have been shown in studies to reduce fatal injury crashes at rural intersections by about 21 percent.
Committee members raised budget and maintenance concerns. One member said the county does not have a line item to add rumble strips at every request and warned of an open-ended program of installations. Supporters pointed to past local examples where rumble strips were installed after serious accidents.
Following discussion a committee member moved that the Highway Department install rumble strips on each approach of County Road I at State Highway 48; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Highway staff were directed to prepare an installation plan consistent with federal/state design guidance and to return with cost and timing estimates.
The committee’s approval is a directive to the Highway Department; the transcript shows staff noted the installation must follow accepted design standards and fit within available budget or come back to the committee if additional funding is required.
