In this week’s edition (April 15) of The Kearney Courier, you can find a story about the problems and possible solutions to the traffic congestion problem around Pilot Travel Center at Missouri Highway 92 and Shanks Avenue, just west of I-35.
I spent a day watching the intersection, taking an informal traffic count, to see what it’s really like over there. I’ve heard horror stories of close calls and found a few frustrations of my own.
The following is a sort of a log I took during the day.
(
For the purposes of count and log, truck = tractor-trailer truck – or semi truck; and car = any car, pickup, truck, van or other non big-rig truck). These counts and notes are only for vehicles on Shanks Avenue north of Highway 92 (the entrance for Pilot, Arby’s and Econo Lodge). The counts are only for vehicles entering or exiting that area. It does not include vehicles on Highway 92 that do not turn nor vehicles that turn in and out of the West Shopping Plaza for John’s Super, Burger King, Stables, etc.
7:30 to 8:30 a.m.• 35 trucks entered, 61 trucks exited
• 23 cars entered, 28 cars exited
8:07 a.m. – a truck is halfway into the intersection for more than 15 seconds, trying to turn left. In that time, three cars wait to continue westbound on Highway 92.
8:22 a.m. – Three trucks and two cars are in line to exit as a fourth truck enters the line. Total wait time for the fourth truck is 1 minute, 15 seconds.
8:24 to 8:27 a.m. – Nearly three minutes pass since any vehicle has entered or exited Shanks Avenue. This is the longest lull of the day.
8:30 a.m. – six total vehicles are in line to exit, most turning left, total wait time is 2 minutes, 30 seconds.
8:30 to 9:30 a.m.• 31 trucks enter, 34 trucks exit
• 29 cars enter, 33 cars exit
There are more lulls in traffic as things slow down, not as long as three minutes.
9:20 a.m. – A commercial pickup truck drives on the curb and grass in front of Arby’s to pass the line of cars of trucks to turn right. Total wait time for that pickup, had the driver not bypassed traffic, would have been less than 1 minute.
9:30 to 10:30 a.m.• 52 trucks enter, 45 trucks exit
• 39 cars enter, 41 cars exit
10:30 to 11:30 a.m.• 47 trucks enter, 49 trucks exit
• 57 cars enter, 54 cars exit
10:45 a.m. – listening to chatter on the citizens band radio. One truck driver warns another to “watch out for the white pickup, he’ll pull you over.” That’s Kearney Police Chief Tom Carey they’re referring to. The truckers also talk about the construction on I-35 and reduced lanes. They ask if there’s a Pilot nearby, they have prepaid cards from their employer to pay for fuel.
11:15 a.m. – traffic really starts to pickup for lunchtime.
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – the busiest daytime hour
• 59 trucks enter, 59 trucks exit
• 80 cars enter, 78 cars exit
11:54 a.m. – A car goes through the Arby’s parking lot to go around a truck in line to exit.
12:01 p.m. – A commercial pickup truck runs the right wheels through the Arby’s grass, turns left the same time as a truck, then pulls to the far right on Highway 92 and has to wait for the truck before proceeding eastbound on Highway 92.
12:13 p.m. – Traffic is backed up with at least nine vehicles, including five trucks.
12:23 p.m. – The line to exit has four consecutive trucks plus two pickup trucks with trailers.
12:30 to 1:30 p.m.• 62 trucks enter, 56 trucks exit
• 57 cars enter, 74 cars exit
12:35 p.m. – A rare sight: only cars waiting to exit. Two cars turn right, three turn left. Then another rare sight: no one in the intersection (including on Highway 92 or exiting West Shopping Plaza) for about 20 seconds.
1:30 to 4:30 p.m. – the slowest time of day
I took a break during this time, 1:30 to 1:45 p.m. netted just 64 total vehicles and 3:45 to 4 p.m. had just 54 vehicles.
At 4:13 p.m. a truck does not have enough room to turn right off Highway 92 and has to wait for an exiting truck. This backs up traffic through the traffic signals. The lights are green for westbound traffic under I-35, but cars are stopped in the intersection for nearly a minute waiting for this truck.
More CB chatter – truckers discuss the best motels to stay in at Kearney.
Foot traffic – throughout the day several people, presumably truckers cross Highway 92 to get to places like Burger King, John’s Super, O’Reilly’s and other stores across the highway from the trucks top.
4:30 to 5:30 p.m. • 38 trucks enter, 28 trucks exit
• 60 cars enter, 58 cars exit
5:30 to 6 p.m.• 26 trucks enter, 13 trucks exit
• 45 cars enter, 36 cars exit
