County staff said they had met with the Kansas Department of Transportation and the state secretary of transportation to raise safety concerns on Highway 254 near a school and to explore interim and longer-term changes.

County Manager (name in transcript not specified) said the county asked whether an interim school-zone change during school hours was possible as a stopgap while engineering projects are considered. Staff said the state gave “pushback” on changing speed or classification for an expressway-designated segment, noting that such changes can create unintended complications, though county staff said the conversation “planted the seed” for additional safety work. The county also discussed moving a stop sign back a few feet to improve sight lines.

Public-works staff and commissioners spoke about possible countermeasures ranging from minor operational shifts — moving a stop sign a few feet to improve visibility — to larger design changes such as additional turn lanes or “J-turn” treatments. Staff cautioned that J-turns and similar access-management measures tend to reduce angle (T-bone) collisions but can increase the risk of rear-end pileups in some contexts.

The county said it will continue coordination with KDOT and local school and district officials as engineering evaluations proceed; staff noted that any lane‑configuration changes would require state approval and could be part of longer-term corridor funding efforts.