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Shawnee County unveils safety action plan after 11 years of crash data; roadway departures, intersections prioritized
Summary
Public works director Curtney House presented a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan that uses 11 years of crash data to prioritize roadway-departure countermeasures, intersection improvements and targeted projects such as Auburn Road and US-75/62nd; the plan will be used to apply for federal SS4A implementation grants.
Shawnee Countys Director of Public Works, Curtney House, presented a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan Dec. 18 that uses 11 years of crash data to identify safety priorities, recommended countermeasures and candidate projects for federal implementation grants under the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) program.
"Death and serious injuries are unacceptable," House told commissioners, summarizing the plans safe-system approach. House said the report focuses on fatal and serious-injury (FSI) crashes: "We've had 84 [fatal crashes] in those 11 years and 235 serious-injury crashes," he said, and noted roughly 9,300 total crashes in the 11-year window for county roads outside Topeka.
House identified roadway departures as the top emphasis area, followed by intersection-related crashes and unrestrained occupants (the last acknowledged as underreported). The plans secondary emphasis areas include alcohol- or drug-related crashes, vulnerable road users, distracted driving and speed-related crashes. He noted three overlapping findings: many alcohol- or drug-related crashes also involve roadway departures, but most roadway-departure crashes do not involve impairment.
The plan calls for a mix of low-cost and capital countermeasures: wider (6-inch) pavement edge markings, two-foot paved shoulders where feasible, access management to limit conflict points, improved signal and sign visibility (retroreflective backplates), enhanced signage and localized pedestrian treatments such as Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons at crossings. House said these measures are meant to be proactive and to capitalize on vehicle safety technologies that depend on road markings.
Using crash maps and public input, staff proposed project recommendations for funding consideration: Auburn Road (K-4 to Auburn city limits), northwest Rochester Road (Minear to 46th), 53rd Street (Auburn to Berlingame), southeast 37th (Croco to Shawnee Heights Road), northeast 35th (US-75 to Topeka Boulevard), southwest Gauge Boulevard (city limits south to 49th), US-75 at 62nd Street (submitted for high-risk rural roads funding), US-40 at Shawnee Heights Road, and pedestrian-focused work on Chica Boulevard.
House said priorities were driven by the safety task force, crash data and public input rather than his personal ranking. Projects that touch the state highway system, such as US-75/62nd, will require coordination with the Kansas Department of Transportation; House said the county can pursue complementary measures on side roads while seeking KDOT partnership for major reconfiguration.
House urged commissioners to balance the highest-impact projects and the available funding streams. He said some pedestrian projects may be better suited to other federal programs than SS4A because SS4A implementation funds are aimed at projects that follow from the CSAPs recommended project list.
Next steps: the CSAP will be used to support grant applications for implementation funding and to guide future county project design and prioritization.
