County commissioners oppose a group’s plan to reconfigure one of the entry points into downtown Humboldt.
A Bolder Humboldt received a $1 million grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation in 2019 to connect the Southwind Trail north of the city to the downtown area.
Their plan would create a walking and biking trail from the Southwind west to the intersection of Hawaii and Ninth Street. From there, the trail would cross Ninth and follow along the west side of the street to downtown.
The plan would close an awkward triangle where Eighth and Ninth streets intersect. In its place would be a green space with signage, creating an attractive entrance to town.
The county has jurisdiction over that specific area.
The Humboldt City Council has approved the group’s plans for portions within city limits, which ends at Franklin Street, and the west side of Ninth.
Beth Barlow, a member of A Bolder Humboldt, wrote the grant. She and Cody Porter, an engineer with Wilson & Company, a Kansas City, Mo., engineering firm, visited with commissioners Tuesday.
Barlow and Porter told commissioners the triangular intersection is not safe.
Northbound motorists who stop on Eighth Street need the neck of an owl to see oncoming traffic, they said. Southbound motorists who select Eighth Street drive through a residential area, which Porter said is not ideal.
If the triangular intersection were eliminated, motorists could access Eighth Street by turning right onto Franklin where it meets Ninth, just a short distance away.
Commissioners were concerned motorists would not like the change.
“I’m always looking for a compromise. I’ve had a lot of constituents ask me not to close streets,” Chairman Jerry Daniels said. “Is there a way the trail can exist 99% the way it is and not close streets?”
Barlow said she understood some people would resist the change. Others might welcome it. She also noted numerous developments in the area have already brought change.
“You can talk about the way it always was, but the way it always was is not the way it is now,” she said. “There’s a fitness center. A brewery is coming. There are 200 more people working at B&W. There’s a lot of changes that have happened in that part of town.”
Commissioner Bruce Symes initially agreed closing the triangle would improve safety, both by eliminating the awkward intersection and by not funneling traffic down a residential street.
Commissioner David Lee suggested the county temporarily close the triangle and see what happens.
