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Resident urges speed, signage and chevron changes on US 42 after crashes; police say grant will fund targeted enforcement
Summary
A resident described multiple serious crashes on U.S. 42 and asked the city to endorse requests to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for an extended 35 mph limit, intersection flashing warning lights, and chevron curve signage. The police chief said the department received an overtime enforcement grant to focus patrols on Highway 42.
John Simpson, speaking during the citizen-comment portion of the Prospect City Council meeting, asked the council to back three traffic safety requests to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) after detailing a string of crashes on U.S. Highway 42.
Simpson said multiple collisions occurred within a short stretch of Highway 42 near Bridgepoint Boulevard, including two fatal crashes and several serious collisions he described to the council. He asked the city to endorse three changes he had discussed with KYTC staff: extend a new 35-miles-per-hour speed limit farther up the hill, install an intersection warning with flashing lights at the Heritage Creek Drive/Marina Drive intersection, and add chevron curve warning signs on the outer edge of the downhill curve.
Simpson told the council he had met with Carl Jenkins of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, that Jenkins “seemed very agreeable” to the requests and that Jenkins asked Simpson to obtain a formal endorsement from the City of Prospect.
Chief Tony Denham of the Prospect Police Department acknowledged Simpson's concerns and described department steps to address speeds and crashes on U.S. 42. Denham said the department applied for and was awarded an overtime grant that will pay officers to work targeted enforcement “exclusively on 42,” allowing special patrol hours to focus on the corridor rather than neighborhood patrols.
Denham also described data collection work. He said the department deployed radar trailers and speed-monitoring devices at both ends of the corridor and that “most of our data shows between 30 and 40 miles per hour” at one location, though he acknowledged some drivers continue to exceed limits.
Mayor Doug Barnsley said city staff would draft a letter to KYTC in support of Simpson’s requests; a mayoral staff exchange in the meeting indicates the mayor offered to produce a first draft. Denham invited residents to bring specific safety concerns directly to the police to help focus enforcement and said the department would share its collected speed and enforcement data with the council.
No formal action on the three KYTC requests was taken at the meeting beyond the pledge to draft an endorsement letter. Simpson said city endorsement was the favor asked of the council; the mayor indicated staff would prepare a draft letter for council review.
