By ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — 43rd Avenue between Lucille and Old K-61 Highway is now open after construction crews finished up the bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad.
Buhler USD 313 celebrated Wednesday morning with a school bus loaded with a handful of students crossing the bridge. The $3 million project was also finished a year ahead of schedule due to good weather conditions.
“If you’ve ever been to Prairie Hills at dismissal or pick up time or when there’s been a big event out there you’ll know of the congestion we’re referring to," USD 313 Superintendent Cindy Couchman said. “We run close to 570 kids at Prairie Hills Middle School and that’s a lot of picking up and dropping off.”
The completion of the bridge brings up another question. What happens to the traffic signals at 30th and Lucille? The signals were put in place after a donation was made to have them installed. The lights were needed to help control traffic around Prairie Hills Middle School. Couchman says she wants to see how traffic patterns change now that 43rd is open again before making any judgment on the future of the traffic signal.
“Let’s leave them up for a little bit and we’ll work with the city and collaborate with them and see if it's something that we need to keep to help move traffic along 30th,” Couchman said. “We’ll be working with the city to study whether we want to keep them up there.”
According to Hutchinson City Manager Jeff Cantrell they are also playing a wait and see as to how traffic patterns change around the intersection before deciding whether to take the signal down or build a permanent traffic light at the intersection. Cantrell says public works will do a traffic count to see how things change over the next several months.
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