The Merrick County Board of Supervisors has forwarded a resolution to support the construction of a four-lane expressway between Grand Island and Columbus. The resolution has been forwarded to Grand Island Mayor Ken Gnadt, the city council, Hall County board and the offices of state Sens. Ray Aguilar and Bob Kremer. In that time, we'll be awash in problems associated with dense traffic. Widening Highway 30 to four lanes makes perfect sense between Grand Island and Central City.
Traffic counts indicate rising use.
The stretch has a history of deadly collisions as well. Four lanes may foster more commerce for the area, but the real issue is safety. Any development to four lanes should include controlled access to the highway. That would include restricting entrances to county roads, diverting traffic to marked, safe entrances and exits. It doesn't have to be an interstate highway, but with the amount of farm vehicle traffic in the area, planners should limit access.