HPD has supplied the city with a list of the intersections where most accidents occur
The city of Henderson will soon start evaluating high traffic incident intersections and look for improvements at these locations with a hope to decrease the number of local accidents.
Mayor Brad Staton said improvements regarding striping, traffic light delays and sight lines will help to make the intersections safer.
The mayor said that striping at several intersections is no longer visible. He mentioned the Second Street and Green Street intersection as an example, where in the left turn/straight lane the straight arrow striping is not visible.
Because Second Street is a city road and Green Street is a state road, this is an example of the city and the state determining who is responsible for the maintenance at the intersection, Staton said.
Another issue that city officials will investigate, according to the mayor, is the length of the pause between the time a red light appears versus when the green light of the intersecting street appears. Increasing the amount of time of the delay could decrease accidents at intersections, the mayor said.
He added, though, that those pauses are implemented in ways consistent with traffic studies, including speed limit, so longer pauses may not be an option.
Another factor to be looked into is the sight line for motorists, Staton said. That means identifying bushes, signs, trees or other objects that are interfering with a driver’s vision at intersections, the mayor said.
According to a list of intersections that have the most incidents that was compiled by the Henderson Police Department, the intersection (or nearby that intersection) with the most accidents was Barret Boulevard and U.S. 60 (which is the entrance and exit to Hoffman Plaza, where Walmart and Lowe’s are located). The timespan that HPD looked at in compiling the list was from November 2023 to November 2025, said HPD Chief Billy Bolin.
The next five spots involve Green Street, and after that, Green Street shows up three more times on the list. U.S. 60 appears six times. And U.S. 41, along the Strip, appears three times.
Staton mentioned the Barret Boulevard and U.S. 60 intersection at Walmart as one of particular concern. He said the speed limit right before the cloverleaf coming from town and going to Walmart increases from 35 miles per hour to 45 mph.
Because U.S. 60 is a state road and the state has jurisdiction, the city has requested the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to lower the speed limit in that area, Staton said. Specifically, the mayor said he’d like the speed limit to remain 35 mph out to a point beyond the Hoffman Plaza entrance/exit nearest Lowe’s when traveling east.
The speed limit in the area is also important because of the switching of lanes needed to get into the right-hand turn lanes into Hoffman Plaza, he said. The mayor listed the amount of traffic currently there with the probability of more from residents of the Bentley Point subdivision and coming retail developments as other reasons for a decreased speed limit.
Staton said he grew concerned with traffic accidents after seeing a total of some 100 incidents occurring on the U.S. 41-Strip last year. That’s almost one every three days, he said. “That’s too much,” he said.
He said city officials will evaluate the intersections and present their findings and recommendations to the Henderson City Commission at a later date. He said their findings could include priorities as well.
Staton said improvements most likely won’t be able to be started until the new fiscal year, which begins July 1. Currently, the budget process for next fiscal year is underway, and Staton said a place marker to complete these projects will be put into the draft budget as city officials work toward a finalized version.
Staton added that a five-year initiative to increase the road budget 10% compounding interest each year will see a 60%-70% road budget increase by the end of the plan.
“The goal here is to try to make Henderson a safer place for motorists,” he said.
Here’s the list of the highest-incident intersections in Henderson from November 2023 through November 2025, according to HPD data:
- Barret Boulevard/U.S. 60: 20-plus
- 12th Street /Green Street: 20-plus
- 14th Street /Green Street: 20-plus
- 5th Street /Green Street: 20-plus
- 2nd Street /Green Street: 20-plus
- Washington Street /Green Street: 20-plus
- U.S. 41/Watson Lane: 20-plus
- U.S. 41/Marywood/Rettig: 18
- 12th Street /Elm: 16
- U.S. 41/Barret Boulevard: 15
- Sand Lane/Green Street: 14
- Ky. 425/U.S. 60: 13
- Clay Street/Green Street: 12
- Watson/Green River Rd: 12
- 1st Street /Green Street: 10
- 14th Street/Elm Street: 9
- Borax Drive/ U.S. 60: 9
- U.S. 60/Watson Lane: 9
- U.S. 60/Marywood: 8
- U.S. 60/Manor: 7
