'You just have to pray': Drivers might avoid these 5 Topeka places when streets get icy
When Topeka streets get icy, avoid S.W. 29th and Burlingame Road.
That advice was shared recently by eight different members of a Topeka Facebook group.
One suggested even avoiding all of the hilly stretch of S.E. and S.W. 29th Street between S.W. Gage Boulevard and S.E. Adams Street.
'Pretty much everywhere'
The Capital-Journal asked members of the Topeka and Shawnee County News & Police Scanner Facebook group what places to avoid when streets get slick.
Several suggested avoiding, as one put it, "pretty much everywhere."
Here are five of the most-suggested among the more than 20 locations group members gave.
S.W. 29th and Burlingame Road
The site mentioned most was S.W. 29th and Burlingame, an intersection the city replaced in 2018.
That crossing, a four-way stop, is located on a hill. It's particularly tough on eastbound drivers who must start down that hill just before reaching the intersection's stoplight, one member of the Facebook group said.
Eastbound drivers also find themselves going down a steep hill to the west of S.W. Burlingame Road on S.W. Knollwood Road, one block north of S.W. 29th, another said.
"You just have to pray that you don't slide past the stop sign into busy Burlingame traffic," she said.
Baker's Hill
Some group members brought up "Baker's Hill," located on S.E. 21st Street just east of S.E. Wittenberg Road, on the boundary between the city of Topeka and unincorporated Shawnee County.
Baker's Hill isn't highly traveled but it's quite steep.
It is known to some as "Bigger's Hill," one Facebook group member said.
Topeka Boulevard Bridge
Some group members mentioned the Topeka Boulevard Bridge, which has an incline going both directions.
Southbound drivers on the bridge might have trouble seeing whether cars are stopped at the traffic light at its south end, one said.
"If it's icy, it's even harder to stop," she said.
Flyover from Interstate 70 to Interstate 470
Also mentioned was the flyover from westbound Interstate 70 to southbound Interstate 470.
The flyover "gets pretty slippery when it freezes," a group member said.
S.W. 10th Avenue east of Wanamaker Road
Other Facebook group members mentioned the hill located just east of S.W. Wanamaker Road on S.W. 10th Street.
"Many cars slide around when it is icy or snow-packed," one said.
Topeka Police Department says these streets see more crashes in slick conditions
The Capital-Journal also sought input from the Topeka Police Department, which pulled data from May 2021 through early last month, said city communications director Gretchen Spiker.
Earlier data wasn't readily available, she said.
The intersection of S.W. 6th and Fairlawn Road led all Topeka locations during that time period with three crashes for which the reports said conditions involved ice, snow or slush, Spiker said.
Six other sites saw two crashes over that time period during such circumstances, she said.
Those were the following:
200 block of N.W. Topeka Boulevard.
1600 block of S.W. Lane.
2100 block of S.E. California Avenue.
2300 block of S.E. 10th Avenue.
2900 block of S.W. Burlingame Road.
4300 block of S.W. US-75 highway.
S.W. 15th and Washburn Avenue.
S.W. 21st and MacVicar Avenue.
S.W. 21st and Washburn Avenue.
S.W. 29th and MacVicar Avenue.
S.W. 29th and Gage Boulevard.
S.W. Interstate 470 and Burlingame Road.
S.W. I-470 and Fairlawn Road.
S.W. Topeka Boulevard and S. Kansas Avenue.
The latter intersection is located south of S.W. 37th and Topeka Boulevard and is just north of the bridge where the Kansas Turnpike passes over S.W. Topeka Boulevard, Spiker said.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Here are 5 places to avoid when Topeka road conditions get dicey
