Eight potential solutions for traffic problems in the area of East Seward Street and North Columbia Avenue were proposed at a recent meeting between city officials and residents who live along those routes.
City Engineer Michael Oneby and City Administrator Greg Butcher presented at the Civic Center March 21 to more than 100 residents of neighborhoods located in eastern Seward.
The meeting came after residents objected to a proposed 170-lot Prairie View subdivision east of town – not because of the development itself, but because the additional traffic would worsen the already busy streets in their neighborhoods.
At its March 1 meeting, the city council tabled approval of the subdivision’s preliminary plat for 30 days to allow the city to visit with homeowners on short- and long-term solutions while it considers building another north-south road that would divert some of the traffic – a solution that would take years to complete.
Those who attended the meeting were given the opportunity to submit a written comment sheet, which the city will then use to determine its course of action.
“We prioritized those top three ideas that they liked and asked them to put a ‘no’ next to the ones they wouldn’t be able to live with,” Butcher said.
By April 1, the city had received input from 69 households in Ridge Run, Valley View Estates, along East Seward Street both within and outside of the city limits and from adjacent neighborhoods.
Residents were informed of the meeting through a letter sent out by city administration.
“We looked at responses by neighborhood, then by totality,” Butcher said, with each group painting a different picture of what residents would like to see. Some options were obvious favorites, while others were largely rejected.
The results were to go to the city council for discussion at its April 5 meeting (held after press time).
Butcher said the council likely wouldn’t take action on this issue without further research.
Each long-term solution came with a cost estimate, and any project that includes building or significantly modifying a road must first be added to the city’s 1- and 6-year road plan.
Butcher said once the council narrows potential solutions, the city may hold an open house for the whole community.
“These are roads that are traveled by everybody,” he said.
The council also was to consider the Prairie View preliminary plat at the April 5 meeting, since the 30-day window had expired.
Read more about the discussion in an upcoming edition.
