MAYOR: ‘NO DEFINITIVE ANSWER’ FROM RAILROAD’ YET
Some Parkville merchants continue to question the viability of a plan to re-route a street in an attempt to alleviate congestion in the historic city’s downtown.
A plan, adopted by the Parkville Board of Aldermen during a July 1 meeting, calls for re-routing an existing roadway at Main and First Street, which includes an awkward zig-zag.
City officials have said they receive complaints about the tightly-configured traffic tangler, especially problematic during afternoon rush hour.
The Landmark reached out to Alderman Michael Lee, the only board member to vote no to the plan, but did not get a reply by deadline.
The new roadway will eliminate the awkward zig-zag and re-route motorists to a street about 21 feet from existing railroad tracks, said Mayor Dean Katerndahl.
Downtown property owner Tom Hutsler said Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway contractors recently conducted annual repairs on the tracks. Hutsler said contractors told him the proposed plan would probably be deemed dangerous by railway officials because it would leave drivers turning from the road to cross the tracks, rather than driving a straight path over the tracks, creating a hazard due to lower visibility.
In addition, Southern Platte Fire District officials with a nearby fire station are concerned about the ability to maneuver the area with their fire trucks. They say the plan also would prevent firefighters from pulling firetrucks through the station, alleviating the need to back in, as they currently do.
However, City Administrator Alexa Barton said city officials have been in contact with railway officials about their adopted plan and railroad personnel continue to study the issue.
Mayor Dean Katerndahl agreed there’s “no definitive answer” from railroad officials.
A spokesman for BSNF Railroad did not respond to inquiries from The Landmark by deadline.
Ron Achelpohl, director of transportation and the environment at Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), who advises cities about street projects, said he’s aware that Parkville officials are studying the issue, but has not yet heard a definitive plan. He said the project, which carries a $3.6 million overall price tag, will take advantage of federal, state and local funding, but first must be reviewed by a Metropolitan Planning Organization.
City officials have said they are committed to acting fast in order to prevent jeopardizing available funding. But Achelpohl said the timeline, which currently calls for completion during 2026, could be extended, as many cities face similar time constraints.
“Since we haven’t seen their formal request, I can’t comment (further about the project’s viability),” he said, but added that he expects city officials to contact him to update the plan.
Dozens of downtown business owners signed a petition stating they are not in favor of the plan and submitted the document to city officials, Hutsler said. Citizens have commented during a series of public hearings and open forums that they are concerned about traffic flow in an area where parking for shoppers already is at a premium and large delivery trucks must maneuver narrow streets to reach their destinations.
Southern Platte Fire Department Interim Chief Ralph Nell, who spoke to city officials at the July 1 meeting where the board approved the plan, told the board the plans “are not feasible at this time.”
The firefighters’ board of directors submitted a letter stating that the short distance of 24 to 25 feet between the re-routed road and the fire station leaves fire personnel wondering how the station’s right of way would be affected.
Fire officials are worried about their trucks quickly exiting the station and maneuvering through nearby traffic congestion during emergencies and also believe the plan would prevent their trucks from pulling through the fire house.
Katerndahl said, “Anything can happen and the engineers (with Confluence, a firm designing the plan) are fairly confident we can work this out.”
