My editorial Sat. about the unsafe Casino entrances on 77.
Gambling for an accident
When is somebody going to do something about the death trap at the casino entrances off U.S. 77?
Last week, two people died when a car pulled in front of a semi-tractor existing the Seven Clans Travel Mart.
It's hard to image how two large businesses that attract so many motorists could be built along a state highway with no turn/merge lanes or slowing devices.
And the influx of traffic since 2006 created by the cluster of casinos has made the narrow, two-lane highway between the Kansas state line and Newkirk a more dangerous passage.
We haven't seen any traffic counts or even an accident history, but common sense will do — these intersections are dangerous and an invitation to deadly accidents.
And we're not sure who bears the most responsibility — the state of Oklahoma, or the Otoe-Missouri and Tonkawa tribes that own the casinos and related businesses.
It would be in everybody's best interests — drivers, businesses, customers — to make that road and those intersections safer.
Extending the four-lanes from Kansas to Newkirk should be considered for safety and economic development benefits. Especially if the Ponca and Pawnee tribes fulfill their vision for even more border casinos.
The first casino along 77 went up more than three years ago. The negligence is baffling. Those responsible for our road safety need to do something.
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2 comments:
The tribes built on sovereign land. It's the State's obligation to make sure the road is safe. Oklahoma has been asleep at the wheel for decades on the road between Newkirk and Ark City.
I agree, those responsible for our road safety need to do something-like slow down when they are driving in the area, and exercise greater care when negotiating a turn!
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