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Salina commission approves design work for 9th Street/Waterwell intersection after weeks of trucker pushback
Summary
The commission authorized the city manager to direct Kaw Valley Engineering to design recommended improvements at 9th Street and Waterwell Road (roundabout favored by staff), voting 4-1 after truckers and businesses raised safety and operational concerns about a roundabout and recommended signals instead.
The Salina City Commission on Dec. 8 authorized staff to have Kaw Valley Engineering design recommended improvements at the 9th Street and Waterwell Road intersection, moving the project toward construction-level design after an extended public debate over whether to build a roundabout or install traffic signals.
Kaw Valley engineers presented comparative data on traffic and truck volumes (25 trucks of 798 vehicles in peak hours) and engineersrecommend a single-lane roundabout in the CIP package. Staff emphasized the full CIP cost for corridor improvements is about $4.6 million, including drainage, curb, gutter and up to 1,700 feet of improvements north on 9th Street.
Opposition from truckers and local businesses was vocal during public comment. Jamie Bradley of Doug Bradley Trucking urged the city to install traffic signals instead of a roundabout, citing maneuverability and safety for heavy trucks and presenting cost comparisons: "Installing signal lights ... $650,000 and, the roundabout is, proposed at 4,600,000," Bradley said, urging a lower-cost and faster-install option that could be adjusted if it did not meet operational needs.
Engineers and several commissioners responded that modern roundabouts reduce serious and fatal crashes compared with two-way stops or signals, citing Federal Highway Administration statistics and state/peer examples. Commissioners asked that truck operators be brought into design discussions and that changes address drainage and lane geometry to accommodate large vehicles.
Vote and directions: the motion to have the city manager direct staff and Kaw Valley Engineering to advance design passed 4-1. The commission and staff agreed to engage affected trucking operations and to explore design details (turning radii, phasing and construction sequencing) to reduce operational disruption during construction.
What happens next: engineering will proceed to the design phase with the intent to minimize closure time during construction, refine lane geometry for truck access and include drainage work regardless of whether the intersection is converted to a roundabout or signalized intersection. Staff said temporary measures (a 4-way stop) will be implemented earlier in December to calm traffic while final design proceeds.
