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St. Joseph’s parish urges council to revisit Oaktree Lane design, citing exit bottleneck concerns
Summary
St. Joseph’s Church representatives asked council members to delay approval of a final Oaktree Lane segment, saying the current improvement plan could cause exit bottlenecks for hundreds of weekend vehicles and lacks left‑turn capacity to travel north on SR‑193.
Representatives of St. Joseph’s Church urged the council to delay approval of a portion of Oaktree Lane improvements between the church’s southern property line and State Route 193 until the city or developer addresses left‑turn capacity and exit bottleneck concerns.
Bob (parish committee member) and Michael Krimley (architect and parish advisor) told the council that the church serves thousands of parishioners and that weekend services generate hundreds of cars per service. Krimley, who said he has 50 years of architectural experience, told council members he believes the current project design lacks left‑turn or bypass lanes at the intersection that church traffic will need to exit northbound safely, and he asked the council to postpone finalizing that portion of the improvement plans until a thorough safety analysis and potential design revisions are completed.
City staff and the project engineer responded that the Oaktree Lane improvements are being built in phases; the ultimate design includes two signalized connections to SR‑193 and additional widening in later phases. Tony Frasier, the project engineer, said portions of the underground work now visible are temporary access paving during construction and that final curb, islands and turn pockets will be completed in later improvement phases. He invited St. Joseph’s representatives to meet with city staff and the project team to review intersection geometry and consider any feasible adjustments while construction continues.
City engineering staff said they would meet with the parish, review sight lines and consider minor adjustments during construction where warranted. Staff also said they had conducted line‑of‑sight laser checks and that current designs meet engineering standards.
Why it matters: The church says the intersection design affects ingress and egress for a large congregation and a growing campus; the city says the phased design and signalized 193 connections will ultimately improve safety but will require coordination during construction.
