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Commission hears concerns over KDOT Highway 56 proposals that could limit EMS access and affect local businesses
Summary
Members and residents urged alternatives to proposed closures on Highway 56 that, they said, would block access to an EMS station and disrupt truck routes and local businesses; commissioners encouraged public comment during the open online period.
Commissioners on Dec. 15 discussed proposals shown at a recent open house for Highway 56 improvements that included potential closures of local connectors near an EMS station. A commissioner who serves on the advisory committee said safety staff proposed closing an intersection after a past fatal crash, but several attendees argued the closures would impede EMS access and disrupt semitrailer traffic serving industrial businesses.
"Closing that intersection is the worst thing you can do for Marion County," a commissioner said, arguing that the EMS station’s primary access could be cut off and that semitrailers use the route daily for deliveries. Commissioners suggested alternatives such as reducing speed limits and adding turn lanes rather than full closures, and several urged anyone affected to submit comments online during the public-comment period, which runs through the 24th (as announced during the open-house materials).
Business owners and residents were encouraged to provide location-specific feedback; commissioners noted that some proposed closures could cancel KDOT-funded turning-lane projects and remove previously planned improvements. No formal county action to oppose or endorse KDOT options was recorded during the meeting; commissioners said they would review comments and consider further staff reports or formal recommendations if warranted.
