...for road's dangerous condition By Heather Harvey Four traffic fatalities in less than four months on County Road 350 South is prompting many Lafayette residents to question why the newly widened road has become so dangerous. But those who live and work near the busy thoroughfare say the answer is simple: Speed. "I do believe there is a lot of speeding and stupidity out here," said Nancy McKinney, manager of the SuperTest gas station at 350 South and 18th Street. McKinney and employees from nearby Valley Lakes Center businesses say they see too many motorists driving too fast on the road, which has a posted speed limit of 45 mph and connects U.S. 231 South with U.S. 52, Interstate 65 and Indiana 38. "I think people probably go a little fast because it's so straight," added Lisa Taylor, who works at the Farm Bureau Insurance office. Originally a gravel county road, 350 South was paved, widened and annexed into the city of Lafayette in sections starting in 1995. It is now called a super two-lane because it has an emergency strip, or shoulder, on each side. And being straight, flat, free of obstructions and flanked by open farmland - the very qualities that make the road safe by design standards - appear to be the same qualities that invite speeding. "It was intended to be relatively free of any kind of obstruction," said Mike Sanders, principal planner of the Tippecanoe County Area Plan Commission, explaining that 350 South's vital role in Lafayette traffic flow was anticipated over 30 years ago, and that safety was the primary consideration. Yet the road is gaining a reputation of being dangerous and even deadly, now that it has quickly become a major artery in the flow of Lafayette traffic after last year's completion of the U.S. 231 connection: In December, McCutcheon High School senior Jeremy Doyle was killed near the 18th Street intersection when an oncoming car crossed the center line and crashed head-on into his vehicle. And last month, only a quarter-mile east of the site of the accident that killed Doyle, Illinois residents Sarah Towery and Earl "Chip" Smith, and Jeffrey Pedone Trout of Lafayette were killed in a similar head-on collision. According to data provided by the Lafayette Police Department, a traffic count in 1994 recorded 5,000 cars on 350 South during a 24-hour period. That number rose 43 percent to 7,169 cars in December 1997 then surged another 78 percent to 12,759 in a count taken just last month. But traffic isn't the sole issue. "One of the factors is it's so wide open that before you know it, you're going over the speed limit," Lafayette Police Sgt. Thomas Rankin said, noting that he's surprised there aren't more accidents. "If the driver doesn't pay attention to his speed, he easily can be going 55 to 60 mph or more and especially if they've just come off one of the major highways onto 350," added Rankin, who lives near 350 South and drives it regularly. McKinney has noticed the increase in traffic and speeds in the year she has been at SuperTest. "There is a lot more traffic out here. A lot of kids. I hear more that it's an open shot now. It's convenient." She also has noticed more police patrols looking for speeders. "Since the two accidents, the cops are out in this area more." Rankin confirmed that LPD has stepped up radar patrols. And he also would like to see a greater effort made to remind motorists of the 45 mph speed limit. "I think increased signage would be beneficial."
ACCIDENT AFTERMATH: The wreckage of one of the vehicles involved in the fatal accident on County Road 350 South that killed three people on March 21. Journal and Courier file photo by Amy Bombassaro
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