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Supervisors discuss closing short stretch of Voyager Road, ask for adjacent landowner petitions
Summary
Carroll County supervisors discussed a request from the sheriff to reclassify and gate a roughly 0.35-mile section of Voyager Road after repeated vehicle recoveries and safety concerns; supervisors described the next steps as collecting adjacent property-owner signatures and scheduling a public hearing under County Ordinance No. 12.
Carroll County supervisors on the dais discussed a request to close and gate a short stretch of Voyager Road after repeated incidents of vehicles becoming stuck and concerns about safety and maintenance.
The sheriff asked the board to move the segment — from just south of 130th Street near the Carroll Access up to the gravel pit — from a Level B road to a Level C road. Under County Ordinance No. 12, access to a Level C road can be restricted by a gate or barrier purchased and installed by the county and maintained by adjacent landowners; if they fail to maintain it, the county may remove the gate.
The supervisors said the affected segment is short — roughly 0.35 miles — and that the road is currently in poor condition with deep ruts and flooding in places. One speaker said a car that had been stuck there for more than six weeks was recently removed and that at least one vehicle had water inside up to the steering wheel. Board members and staff described the stretch as largely unmaintained and overgrown, and said it is difficult to get county equipment into the area.
Staff said the first formal step is to secure written agreement from adjacent property owners on both ends of the proposed gate. The transcript records that one adjacent landowner (name to be provided to the county) had been contacted and appeared willing to sign a petition; the supervisors said Carroll County Conservation would also need to sign. Once the county has the required signatures, the board will set a public hearing to consider the reclassification and gate installation.
Supervisors discussed practical limits of gating, noting that, because of trees and terrain, some drivers could likely drive around a gate onto adjoining private ground. They also noted signage and route guidance issues: Google Maps directs some drivers into the gated section toward Carroll Access; the board said using road-closure tools tied to the county’s routing (the county’s 511 or similar mechanisms) and clearer signage to route drivers to the access via 130th and Velvet would reduce confusion.
No formal vote or ordinance change occurred at the meeting. Supervisors directed staff to gather the petition signatures and to return the matter for placement on a future public hearing once signatures are collected.
The board noted that the road’s classification could be reversed in future if development or changed conditions warrant reopening.
