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Abbeville council adopts downtown signage plan, lowers speeds on State Street and near courthouse
Summary
The Abbeville City Council on Jan. 7 adopted a resolution updating downtown signage and lowering the posted speed on North State Street to 25 mph, with a 15 mph limit proposed for the blocks immediately around the courthouse and square; the resolution also makes several temporary changes permanent and adds pedestrian and bike signage.
The Abbeville City Council on Jan. 7 adopted a resolution to finalize the downtown street signage and traffic changes that accompanied the city’s recent street work, setting a 25-mph speed limit along the renovated stretch of North State Street and approving a plan to lower speeds to 15 mph in the immediate blocks around the courthouse and town square.
Council members said the changes formalize modifications already in place and aim to improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers in the downtown core.
The resolution formalizes several elements of the downtown reconfiguration: one-way lane conversions on parts of State Street, replacement of temporary signs with permanent signage, installation of yield-to-pedestrian and bicycle signs, and a change from a yield to a stop sign at the Washington approach to the square. The council directed staff to attach the map prepared with Sellers & Associates to the resolution and to proceed with ordering, auditing and installing signs and pavement markers.
Mayor (role listed in the transcript) and staff said the city had walked the route for several months, coordinated with Sellers & Associates, and audited existing temporary signs to determine which needed to be permanent. “We want to limit the speed on North State Street from the bypass all the way to Lafayette to 25 miles per hour,” a city official said during discussion. Council members proposed dropping the speed to 15 mph within roughly a two-block radius of the courthouse and square to reduce the risk of dangerous driving in the most central pedestrian areas.
Council member Tony Hardy, who was identified in the meeting as having traffic and public-safety experience, urged the group to consider enforceability before finalizing any limit changes. Chief Mike (police chief, name given in the transcript as Chief Mike) said officers could enforce a downtown 15-mph zone but that enforcement would require warnings followed by citations during an initial adjustment period.
Staff said the contractor will order permanent signage once the approved plan is received, and that some signs already in place will be replaced or upgraded. Council approved making several temporary operational changes permanent, including the one-way configuration between Peace and Lafayette. The resolution also added 430 raised pavement markers; a separate change order to the downtown street-improvement contract added the markers and a pay item for the contractor.
The council approved the resolution by voice vote after discussion; members voted “aye” and the mayor declared the motion carried.
The resolution and its attached map will be finalized by staff and provided to the contractor for sign fabrication and installation; staff said they expect to return with updated counts and final pricing at the next meeting.
