Resident brings petition asking Osage County to post 30 mph limit on township road near Cardolan Park

A resident told the Osage County Commission on Oct. 21 that a gravel township road used as a shortcut from U.S. Highway 75 toward Cardolan Park and Welling is seeing increased traffic and high speeds and asked the county to post a 30 mph speed limit.

Rob L. Detroff said he and neighbors had circulated a petition with about 16 signatures asking for posted speed limits along the stretch that runs from Highway 75 at Cardolan Park west and south toward Welling. “We would like to see if we could get 30 mile an hour speed limits posted along that road,” Detroff told commissioners during public comment.

Commissioners and county staff said the road runs through two townships and that posting and speed-jurisdiction questions must be checked. A commissioner said legal counsel would review statutes and that the sheriff’s office had been contacted previously; commissioners asked the sheriff and county road staff to pull traffic and crash/enforcement data to inform a decision.

Why it matters: Residents on the road told the commission they are concerned about sight lines and hills, frequent shortcuts from the highway and encounters with ATVs and horse-drawn buggies. Commissioners said they will determine whether the county has legal authority over the township road and, if so, evaluate options including speed posting or targeted enforcement.

Next steps assigned - County staff will ask legal counsel to check statutes on speed limits for township roads and report back when legal counsel (Josh) is available. - Commissioners asked the sheriff’s office to supply any crash or enforcement data and for county staff to consider signage (for example, horse-and-buggy or advisory speed signs) and speed-data collection.

No formal action or vote was taken. Commissioners said they would review data, consult the sheriff and revisit the request at a future meeting.