03-06-2025
Pilot project to help temporary fix safety concerns on busy Winchester road
WINCHESTER, Ky. (FOX 56) — People came to the table at Winchester's College Park to talk about what happens on the streets, especially Boone Avenue.
'You can't pull out of your driveway because they come around that corner so quickly,' one attendee said.
Residents who live along the busy road joined city leaders to hear about a $20,000 grant after the city was selected by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) along with Morehead and Bowling Green, to participate in a national project: Smart Growth America's Complete Streets Leadership Academy.
The city is working with KYTC to test out temporary street improvements.
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'Because they're not going to spend millions of dollars to redo the roadway without having something to back it up. So this is a way for us to try to do a little better, or we get to that million dollars,' one leader said.
Although low-cost, short-term projects were outlined Monday evening, many residents focused on long-term issues.
'You've got fuel tankers flying,' one attendee said.
Large trucks drive the road, even though they are not supposed to, according to a city ordinance, but community members say it is not getting enforced, making the area less safe and interrupting their peace.
'And when those big trucks come down through there, it will wake you up,' said roadside resident Allen Howard.
Residents said a big issue is speeding, as the avenue is also Route 627. Many hope more crosswalks can be the answer to increased safety.
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'So start down at Maple, coming this way. If there were signified crosswalks, people would pay more attention, and I think they will slow down,' Howard said.
Larry Disney has lived on the road for more than 20 years, and he echoed the need for more crosswalks along with bike paths.
'For right now, if we could get the crosswalks and have the traffic slow down, if we could police it to slow down at night,' Disney said.
Those working on the project said they are looking at utilizing flex posts.
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'These flex posts are in the road; they're kind of in your way. They're not going to damage your car, but they're going to be uncomfy to hit at the same time, and so if we can put that out, it narrows that width a little bit and that will help slow speeds down in the short term,' said area resident and consulting traffic engineer Austin Obenauf.
Project leaders will continue to collect feedback before testing out the possible solutions.
To take a survey about Boone Ave., click here.
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