BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org

INDEPENDENCE — Discussions on possible upgrades of 10th Street Road between Dearing and Independence began on Wednesday with the initial meeting of a committee that was developed to examine 10th Street Road issues.

Jim Wright, assistant public works director, said the committee was formed as a result of a $50,000 grant that Montgomery County received through the Kansas Department of Transportation to evaluate possible 10th Street Road upgrades. Committee members represented the Montgomery County Public Works Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department and the regional office of the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Wright said the committee’s initial discussions involved possible ways to improve the safety and flow of traffic on 10th Street from U.S. 166 highway south of Dearing to Wingard Road, which is south of Independence. The committee’s initial discussions were general in nature but did touch upon various safety concerns, including blind spots behind hills, passing lanes and shoulder widths along that stretch of county road.

The committee will also examine vehicle crash data, examine aerial photos of the route, and discuss issues concerning safety and travel with property owners who live on or near 10th Street Road, which is also known as county road 3900.

The road has been the subject of concerns in recent years due to the number of fatalities and mishaps, which are due, in part, to the high volume of traffic that connects the Independence and Coffeyville communities.

The Road Safety Assessment grant through the Kansas Department of Transportation allows 90 percent of the road study to be financed through the State of Kansas while 10 percent will be paid through county coffers, Wright said. Any additional money for actual reconstruction or modifications of the roadway would follow a similar 90-10 partnership, provided funds are available through KDOT, he said.