The left lane will become a left turn and straight lane and the right lane will become a right-turn only on King’s Highway.

WINONA LAKE — Backed up traffic at King’s Highway in Winona Lake is expected to be alleviated with new lane changes going into effect soon.

During the Winona Lake Town Council meeting Tuesday, April 18, Street Superintendent Tom Miller mentioned they have dealt with traffic being backed up due to ineffective segmentation of the traffic lanes. The switch will occur at the intersection where King’s Highway continues on East Winona Avenue and intersects with Park Avenue/Argonne Road.

Currently the left lane is a left-turn-only lane and the right lane is a right turn and straight lane. Miller explained the street department felt the traffic would improve if the left lane became a left-turn lane and straight lane and the right lane became a right-turn only lane.

“You get a lot of backup there. There have been a lot of complaints recently,” said Miller.

Miller explained the switch will alleviate the traffic that stacks up with drivers who generally want to turn right at that intersection and end up having to wait behind drivers who are going straight.

The street department received two quotes from businesses to change the markings, Air Marking Co. bid $5,890 and Three Rivers Barricade bid $5,940.

Miller recommended going with the lower bid from Air Marking Co. Miller mentioned it is so costly because the thermal markings have to be ground up when they are taken out before the new markings are put in.

The council unanimously approved a motion to change the lane segmentation and accept the bid from Air Marking Co. for $5,890.

Town Coordinator Craig Allebach mentioned the council has been looking to implement gates on the Greenway in areas where the mountain bike trails cross the paved trails. The gates are needed to prevent individuals from ignoring stop signs and crossing the intersections too quickly.

Allebach stated there have problems particularly where the Greenway intersects with Chestnut Avenue/ Roy Street. Because there is nothing to obstruct the path onto the Greenway, some individuals have driven vehicles on the Greenway at the entrance by the Winona Lake Street Department and the entrance by Grace College.

The steel gates will be wide enough to be navigated by an ATV. Allebach stated the Greenway will need a minimum of four gates, though they will probably end up purchasing 10.

All the gates will have a dual locking system. The fire department and other agencies will have access to keys to allow them to open them for emergencies or events.

The council received two bids for the installation of the gates. Burke Engineering offered a bid for $1,800 and CSI Signs offered a bid for $3,000.

The council unanimously approved a motion to acceptation the bid for $1,800.

Other news:

• Kosciusko Cares April Fool’s 5K will take place at Winona Lake Park at 9 a.m. April 29.
• Joe’s Kids Splatter Dash will take place at Winona Lake Park at 10 a.m. May 6.
• The Fat and Skinny Tire Fest will take place in The Village at Winona through May 19 to May 21.
• The council approved the Kosciusko County Commissioners request to deed a piece of property located behind the Winona Lake Street Department to the town of Winona Lake.
• The council discussed paying for the first 15 biodegradable bags for each Winona Lake resident to hold their yard waste. The issue will be visited next meeting.