Accident west of Wichita raises questions about intersection and section of road classified as dangerous

WICHITA, Kansas (KWCH) – A crash Wednesday morning at the intersection of 135th Street West and Pawnee is raising concerns about the intersection and a stretch of road in southwest Wichita. Residents of the 135th and Pawnee intersection say the danger is that the road is too narrow and they do not feel safe on that road.

“It's dangerous. At some point, someone is going to get hurt,” said Barbara Doramus, a Sedgwick County driver who lives near the stretch of Pawnee that has caused concern.

Doramus lives in west Wichita and regularly drives along Pawnee Road, crossing the intersection of 135th and Pawnee. She said she doesn't feel safe at the busy intersection.

“I've almost been hit a few times. Cars just don't know when to stop. They're in a hurry and drive too fast,” she said.

People in Wichita and Goddard say they are concerned not just about the intersection, but about all of Pawnee.

“Well, from 119th all the way to Goddard, it's bad,” said Doramus.

Especially during the school year.

“The road is too narrow, the buses have to pull over to the side of the road. It's mostly high schools. When these high school kids come out, it's crazy,” Doramus said.

She said she was constantly worried and would therefore choose other routes that might be inconvenient for her.

“When I get home now, I'll take Kellogg, which also looks pretty chaotic with the new intersections, but Pawnee just needs to be widened, quite honestly,” said Doramus.

She said a change needed to happen soon.

“They need to start thinking about this street because it's going to get busier with all the duplexes and everything they're building,” Doramus said. “There's going to be more people, more cars and more kids.”

12 News reached out to Sedgwick County about the traffic issues. We were told that a study conducted in December showed the intersection of 135th Street West and Pawnee does not meet the county's requirements for a traffic light or multi-way stop. However, a project to rebuild Pawnee between 135th and 151st streets is planned, with construction set to begin in 2028.

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