BEDFORD – On Tuesday morning, the Lawrence County Commissioners voted to approve changes after Sheriff Greg Day and Highway Superintendent Brandi Webb did several traffic studies on some county roadways.
The studies were conducted on May 16, 2023, after both the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department and Highway Department received complaints about the need of addressing speed limit concerns.
During the studies, officials personally went to each road, evaluated a safe driving speed, examined the number of driveways, took note of dangerous intersections, curves, and hillcrests as well as observed other traffic on the roadways.
As a result of these studies, officials made the following recommendations:
- Stonington Road from Lawrenceport Road to Earl Road – A 40-mile-per-hour speed limit, as driveways are limited and the road is wide enough for two vehicles to meet each other.
- Stonington Road from Quail Run Road and continuing east – A 30-mile-per-hour speed limit, due to the much narrower roadway, more driveway accesses, and roadway intersections
- Quail Run Road from Sportsman Club Road to Stonington Road A 30-mile-per-hour speed limit, due to an extremely high number of driveways, approximately 28, on a short stretch of road. State Statue (9-21-5-2) states that a speed limit is 30 miles per hour in an urban district. State Statue (9-13-2-193) defines an urban district as any roadway that has structures including dwellings in less than 200 feet intervals for at least 1/4 mile. This roadway even meets that definition making the 30-mile-per-hour speed limit necessary.
- Lawrenceport Road from State Road 60 to just west of Lawrenceport Main – A 45-mile-per-hour speed limit as the road is very wide, has no dangerous intersections, and minimal residences.
- Lawrenceport Road from just west of Lawrenceport Main to Tunnelton Road – A 35-mile-per-hour as the roadway becomes narrower with dangerous curves, as well as houses very close to the roadway at times
- Lawrenceport Main, the duration of the roadway – A 35-mile-per-hour speed limit due to the narrow roadway and multiple driveways, approximately 18 on a short roadway
- Buddha Bypass – A 35-mile-per-hour speed limit due to the narrower roadway, multiple residences, and two intersecting roadways.
Additional information to consider is the high number of buggies from the Amish community that travels some of these roadways.
The commissioners approved all the recommended speed limit changes for the safety of those who operate vehicles traveling and for those living along these roadways.
