Traffic flows through the recently-modified intersection at Kansas Highway 10 and East 1200 Road on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016. Recently, stick-like barriers were placed on either side of the intersection to prevent motorists from crossing K-10. On Tuesday, a three-car crash occurred when a motorist attempted to go around the barriers to cross the highway, according to the accident report.

The Kansas Department of Transportation likely won’t be able to make any short-term fixes to improve the safety of a much-debated South Lawrence Trafficway intersection that was the site of a three-car crash on Tuesday.

An initial report from the Kansas Highway Patrol indicated the accident at the intersection of Kansas Highway 10 and East 1200 Road — also commonly referred to as the Kasold Drive and SLT intersection — was caused when a Lawrence motorist was struck by oncoming traffic while trying to cross the highway, which is prohibited with the current configuration of the intersection.

The intersection was the subject of debate between city, county and state transportation officials in recent months. City and county officials lobbied the state to install a traffic signal at the intersection, but the state ultimately decided to adopt a less expensive plan that involved limiting the intersection to right-in and right-out turning movements. The plan also involved installing plastic stick-like barriers in the center of the highway to prevent motorists from crossing the highway.

The Lawrence driver who attempted to cross the highway is listed as 68-year old Milton P. Allen Jr. in the report. Allen, a Lawrence attorney and grandson of former University of Kansas basketball coach Phog Allen, remained in Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka in stable condition as of Saturday morning.

During the debate about the future of the intersection, local officials heard concerns that motorists likely would still try to cross the highway, which was one of the reasons a majority of city and county commissioners lobbied for a traffic signal.

KDOT spokeswoman Kim Qualls said the department will continue to monitor the safety of the intersection, but said it would be difficult to make quick improvements to stop motorists from trying to cross the highway. For instance, she said installing more substantial concrete barriers to prevent motorists from crossing wouldn’t be feasible.

“That wouldn’t meet the criteria for a long-term solution,” Qualls said.

Instead, a long-term solution likely would involve more expensive fixes, such as a raised median or other types of improvements. Qualls said that could be a possibility if the intersection develops a history of crashes. Tuesday’s accident was the first one since the new improvements were completed earlier this month. She said KDOT has been reluctant to make major improvements at the intersection because the state hopes to improve the entire western leg of the SLT to a four-lane facility in future years. Any improvements made at the intersection now would have to be torn out as part of the expansion project.

But proponents of the more expensive traffic signal option argued that it is uncertain when — if ever — the SLT would be expanded. KDOT officials countered that another option would be to close the intersection entirely, which drew opposition from several rural residents who said the intersection is an important entrance into west Lawrence. The right-in, right-out restriction was a compromise ultimately settled on by KDOT engineers.

Qualls said the department’s main point of emphasis will be stressing to motorists the importance of following the traffic regulations and that it is both unsafe and illegal to try to avoid the barriers.

“What appears to have happened here is that somebody broke the law with what they did,” Qualls said. “That is the basic premise here.”

Qualls said additional traffic enforcement at the intersection is possible.

“The one thing you really don’t want to do is have to put law enforcement out there to monitor it, but sometimes that is what you have to do,” Qualls said. “You would rather have people abide by what is in place.”

Both Mayor Mike Amyx and Douglas County Commissioner Nancy Thellman said they would continue to remain in contact with KDOT about the intersection.

“I’m very concerned about the ultimate safety of that design, and would hope that KDOT will look into the accident, and keep an eye on that particular intersection,” Thellman said.