By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Residents of the Kendricktown area north of Carthage don’t like a plan to close the Church Street access to Highway 571, according to several who addressed the Jasper County Commission on Thursday.
Petitions containing nearly 100 signatures of residents opposed to the plan were presented when the commission held the second of two public hearings on the proposal.
The change has been requested by a railroad company and the Missouri Department of Transportation, according to Jim Honey, Eastern District associate commissioner.
Under the plan, residents of that area would access the highway via Juniper Road, two blocks to the north. A railroad track crosses both roads, and the railroad is planning to install warning lights and crossing bars at the Juniper Road crossing, Honey said. Counts conducted by the state indicate that most traffic already uses the Juniper Road access, he said.
John Russow, 558 W. Church St., said the closing is not needed, and that having to reroute to another street would be inconvenient for residents.
The commission will hold a final public hearing on the proposal June 4. Honey said no decision will be made until after July 9, when railroad officials have been asked to address the project during a commission meeting. The county also will take its own traffic counts on the two streets, Honey said.
