A memorial built to honor a Johnson County deputy killed during a traffic stop on Sept. 11 will move to a new location Saturday.
The move comes after a compromise made Thursday morning between the Kansas Department of Transportation and the couple who created the memorial, Scott and Teri Atwell.
The Atwells built the memorial hours after Master Deputy Brandon Collins was hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver along Highway 69. Deputy Collins was performing a traffic stop on another vehicle at the time. Scott Atwell, a retired detective for Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, says he knew Collins.
KDOT originally told 41 Action News the memorial was distracting drivers and posed as a hazard due to the right of way.
With the compromise the memorial will stay in the general area near U.S. 69 and 143rd St., but will be moved away from the highway and closer to a fence line. KDOT says the right of way fence will be moved to surround the memorial, allowing for public access from the adjacent trail system west of Robinson St.
The memorial will be moved on Saturday, Sept. 24. KDOT will move the fence around the memorial on Monday, with everything set to be completed by that afternoon.
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