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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLuther Street MedianLuther St. wrecks lead to median Barrier prevents left turns onto F.M. 2818 By MELISSA SULLIVAN Eagle Staff Writer City and state transportation officials have started making safety upgrades to a dangerous College Station intersection following a string of fatal accidents. A temporary median was constructed last week at the intersection of Luther Street and Harvey Mitchell Parkway South. The barrier prevents motorists from making left turns from both roadways. It's the first step to improve safety in the area, said Troy Rother, College Station traffic engi- neer. U -turns also will be prohibited, which will keep drivers from turning around on Harvey Mitchell once they reach the ends of the median. Future plans include the construction of a permanent raised median and a signal at Holle- man Drive and Harvey Mitchell, south of the Luther Street intersection. City officials will present the project plans to the City Council on Jan. 12, Rother said. Four people have been killed this year in wrecks at the intersection, where neighborhood traffic on Luther must yield right of way to fast - moving vehicles on Harvey Mitchell. The most recent accident, two weeks ago, killed a 20-year- old motorcyclist as he was turning from Luther Street onto Harvey Mitchell. Assistant Police Chief Larry Johnson said there also have been numerous injury accidents at the intersection, and most of the injuries were major. The wrecks prompted the College Station Police Department and the city to look into options for making the roadway safer, Johnson said. "I think it has a lot to do with speed," he said of the accidents. "Your vehicle is traveling on the roadway [Harvey Mitchell] where the speed limit is 60 mph, so you are traveling between 60 and 75 mph. Then a vehicle is having to pull onto the road from a complete stop [at Luther]. And it's hard to judge because of the curvature of the road." Rother said several similar locations in the city need sig- nals and medians. "We're trying to prioritize the locations and prioritize the dangerous ones first," he said. "This one was near the top." Exact costs of the entire proj- ect were not available Wednes- day, but Rother said installing the traffic signal at the Holle- man Drive intersection will cost at least $150,000. Once the project is approved, it will take about a year to , complete, Rother said. The thinking behind the traffic signal at Holleman Drive is that it will help slow down vehicles on Harvey Mitchell, he said. There cur- rently are no stop signs or lights for Harvey Mitchell traffic between the Wellborn Road intersection, south of Luther and Holleman, and George Bush Drive, which is north of those streets. "Once [motorists] leave the Wellborn intersection, the next good place to stop is George Bush, and it's quite a distance," he said. Rother said city officials met with the Texas Department of Transportation and the police department a couple of weeks ago to address the issue, and all MEDIAN CONSTRUCTED A temporary median now is in place at Luther Street and Harvey Mitchell Parkway South (F.M. 2818). Eagle graphic three entities agreed a shoe term solution was necessai before any more serious acc dents occurred and a long -ter solution could be implemente Over the past few years, ti traffic in that area h. increased mainly because new housing development Johnson said. "We started talking abo this after the first accident," said. "The other accidents ha pened in quick succession, at it stepped things up. We deci ed we needed to do somethii immediately as opposed waiting for things that we already in the works." • Melissa Sullivan's e -m address is melissa.sullivar theeagle.com.