New Salina fire station requires Crawford Street improvements. Here's what could be coming

With the City of Salina planning on moving Fire Station No. 4 further east, an update to Crawford Street will need to happen.

This update is what was discussed during a study session by the city commission Monday, with eight alternatives looked at to bring the street up to required standards for a subdivision.

According to city staff, the street narrows from four lanes to two lanes in the segment east of Markley Road where the new fire station is set to be located.

City Manager Mike Schrage said that while the Markley Addition will be created and developed by the city, if private developers are looking to build in the city, street standards must be met for developments to be approved as a subdivision, and the city is obligated to meet the same standards as the developer on this project.

Lauren Driscoll, director of community and development services for the city, said at a minimum, the city would need to bring this end of Crawford Street to "Interim Street Standards."

"(Those standards include) improving the street and (adding a) sidewalk on the south side of Crawford," Driscoll said.

This is the standard that developers need to meet for a subdivision to be platted by the city, with future plans in place for that developer to improve the road to "Impact Street Standards," which includes things that are more aesthetic in design, such as streetscaping, pedestrian amenities, enhanced crosswalk facilities and other improvements.

Several options discussed for Crawford Street improvements

City Engineer Dan Stack and Public Works Director Jim Teutsch provided the commission details of the eight options that the city had for Crawford, including the estimated costs of each.

Stack said each of the options really just add on to each other as they increase in difficulty and cost, with the simplest option, which would bring Crawford up to that interim standard, with the most important aspect being adding a sidewalk to one side of the street.

Teutsch said this particular section of road shares the highest score with other roads on what is termed a "sidewalk gap matrix."

"It's an arterial street, it's located in an area where we have known pedestrian traffic (and) it is access for walking and biking to (Berkley Family Recreational Area) and those kinds of things," Teutsch said.

Having a signaled pedestrian crossing for that section of Crawford was a major talking point for the commissioners, with Commissioner Jerry Ivey II asking if there will be a signal for the fire apparatuses leaving the station.

"(If we did that) could that (signal) be incorporated somehow into the crossing?" Ivey asked.

City staff said the plans for the fire station currently do not include such a signal on Crawford, but that could be an idea moving forward.

"There may be some efficiencies that would motivate us to combine the exit from the fire station to the crosswalk," City Manager Mike Schrage said. "That is worth taking a look at."

According to Teustch, the additional cost of a signaled crosswalk would be at least around $50,000 but the commissioner said that investment would be worth it, considering the importance of safety to the known pedestrians that are already in the area.

"It would be embarrassing for a kid to hit (by a car) crossing the street in front of a firehouse, so we need a crosswalk," Commissioner Trent Davis said.

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Having that sidewalk go all the way to Prairie Lane was also a common desire for the commissioners, with making that sidewalk a wider hike/bike trail the preference.

In the end, the commission reached a consensus to have staff bring back, along with the fire station relocation, a plan to widen Crawford and add a hike/bike trail east until Prairie Lane.

"We have to make a decision on Fire Station No. 4, get that budgeted and then confirm whether the governing body wishes to proceed, then we'll try to run both of these (projects) so they can sync up," Schrage said.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina looking at upgrading east Crawford Street with new fire station