Some people say funneling more traffic onto Creasy Springs Road, where there is a dangerous curve, puts drivers and residents at risk.
Residents of Prairie Hills subdivision voiced complaints Thursday about a plan approved by city officials that will route Blue Ridge Road into Creasy Springs Road north of a curve where, according to Boone County Presiding Commissioner Keith Schnarre, 15 accidents have occurred in two years, one of them being fatal.
The city approved the realignment as part of plans for the developing Vanderveen subdivision being built by Steve Herigon of Herigon Construction.
Herigon’s plans deviate from the Major Roadway Plan for Blue Ridge Road, which was amended three years ago by the Columbia Area Transportation Study Organization.
The roadway plan originally called for Blue Ridge to connect with Creasy Springs south of the curve.
Herigon’s plan calls for a street in his new subdivision to connect with Prairie Lane, the northern-most street in Prairie Hills.
Resident Tim Sutton said he and his neighbors had always believed Prairie Lane would be a cul-de-sac.
Sutton and other neighborhood residents spoke during a public hearing conducted by the CATSO Coordinating Committee on Thursday.
Residents of Prairie Hills, which is immediately east of Creasy Springs and the curve, say the main issue is the increase in traffic on Creasy Springs that the Vanderveen development and the realignment of Blue Ridge will cause.
“Thousands of families are going to be driving on this terribly dangerous road,” resident Nancy Kievit said at the hearing. “We are looking out for the interests of all citizens of northern Columbia.”
“This is not a ‘not in my backyard’ issue,” Kievit added. “If it were, we would only be concerned with the connection of Prairie Lane.”
Schnarre, a member of the CATSO committee, sided with neighbors. The secondary concern is with the trauma faced by residents of the area.
Rebecca Cranmer, while concerned about the traffic issue, also worries about the effect on her family.
“I’m probably going to move,” Cranmer said before the hearing. A February accident on the curve left a Columbia resident dead in her front yard.
“My daughter is traumatized. … If we hadn’t had the trees out front, that car would have been through her bedroom window.”
Cranmer’s daughter, 21, has since moved her room upstairs and leaves the porch light on at night, hoping that drivers will see it and know to turn.
Larry Glabe, another Prairie Hills resident, said sightlines for the planned connection north of the curve are even worse than those in an alternate plan that was rejected for poor sightlines.
The CATSO Coordinating Committee was unable to change anything about the plans because the city has already approved them. Members did, however, halt the connection of Prairie Lane until alternatives have been discussed, and they recommended the CATSO Technical Committee establish a policy that requires that significant changes to the Major Roadway Plan be discussed with the coordinating committee.
Residents of Prairie Hills and members of the coordinating committee plan to meet with Herigon next week to discuss options.