Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Roadway topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves removal of raised median on Highway 95 between Ricardo and Central after traffic study
Summary
Bullhead City Council voted 7-0 to remove a raised center median on Highway 95 between Ricardo and Central Avenues after a consultant traffic study found removal could be done safely with standard pavement and striping work; estimated cost about $100,000 paid from city funds.
Bullhead City Council approved the removal of a raised center median on Highway 95 between Ricardo and Central Avenues after staff presented a consultant traffic study that recommended removal with modest safety improvements.
Public works staff (presenter identified as Mackenzie) told the council the median is pinned into the roadway and would require removal of the curb and median materials, milling about 1.5 inches of pavement, repaving and restriping. The approximate cost staff gave the council was about $100,000 for removing and replacing the lane with asphalt.
The council and staff noted the medians were originally installed by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) while ADOT owned and operated Highway 95; the city took ownership of Highway 95 within city limits. Staff said ADOT had installed several medians without city approval in earlier years, and this removal applies only to the single median between Ricardo and Central, not medians outside the city or other sections of the highway.
Why it matters: Business owners and residents along that block told the council the median made it difficult and sometimes dangerous to access businesses and required U-turns through busy intersections. Council members and multiple business owners said customers were lost and emergency response has been impeded at times by constrained traffic flow.
Public input: Several business owners and property managers described near-miss collisions and lost customers after the medians were installed. Anne Pettit, who identified herself as a property and business owner at 3767 Highway 95, told the council the medians made exiting and entering businesses dangerous and said tenants experienced revenue declines. Ray Jackson, manager at US Southwest, said he had observed police officers and other drivers stopping unexpectedly or reversing in traffic while trying to navigate the medianed section.
Council action: Councilmember (motion-maker not specified in transcript) moved and the council voted 7-0 to remove the median "in accordance with the Green Light median removal study." Staff said the city will move forward to design and construction.
Ending: Staff said removal is limited to that specific block; other medians would be evaluated on their own merits and would require separate studies and approvals.
