It seems some motorists aren’t taking no for an answer when they encounter the hard-to-miss "road closed" signs at the intersection of Cowley 3 and U.S. 160 west of Winfield.
"We’ve had trouble with people going around the road blocks," Sheriff Bob Odell said Tuesday morning. "That’s hazardous to the people working out there and to other motorists. We’re keeping an eye on things out there."
A sheriff’s deputy was parked near the work area Monday afternoon as the after-work crowd passed through the intersection, which is getting a major upgrade to make it safer. The county engineer’s office estimates that 2,600 motorists travel a stretch of Cowley 3 from U.S. 160 north to Udall.
Another 1,800 motorists use Cowley 3 from U.S. 160 south to Arkansas City.
The county closed the intersection ? which is also known as the Udall corner or Ark City shortcut ? in July to prepare for the half million dollar project. Steward said a contractor is expected to move in and get busy later this week after a few remaining underground utility lines are moved.
Work includes the straightening of a curved area of the road and the elimination of a second road access point just east of the main intersection.
Steward expects the improved intersection to reopen about three months from now. The contractor has 60 working days to complete the project.
Until then, the county’s smaller, less-traveled roads will pick up the slack. Steward said roads in Vernon Township especially have become well used since the closing. The county has hauled some gravel to areas where newly popular roads can use some help accommodating increased traffic.
So far area drivers seem to be handling the inconvenience about as well as can be expected, Steward said. He has heard a little griping but nothing out of the ordinary for most road projects.
"We’ve not received any complaints, just a few calls on how we might route traffic a little better," he said. "I think with all projects most people, including me, understand progress has to be made, it’s the inconvenience that gets to be a pain."
The road work has already put a dent in the number of people visiting one business along Cowley 3 ? Windswept Winery near Udall.
"They closed it and we could tell the difference right away," owner Randy Storey said. "It’s killed our walk-up traffic."
Even if the inconvenience is too much for you to handle, fight the temptation to drive around the road barriers. The fines are not insignificant, Odell said.
"I don’t know the exact cost off the top of my head," he said. "But the court costs alone, aren’t cheap."
