Clay County engineers defend median plan for County Road 218 as businesses warn of lost access, safety concerns

Business owners along County Road 218 urged the Clay County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 23 to add median openings to a section of the county’s widening project, saying planned raised medians will block customer access and force delivery trucks into dangerous maneuvers.

"We're really for it. I love Middleburg," resident Matthew Wells told the board, but he said the proposed raised median would reduce access to three driveways he owns on County Road 218 and that he feared losing westbound access unless the plan is adjusted. "I certainly don't want to lose my westbound access at any level," he said.

Several nearby business owners described frequent semi and delivery truck traffic and warned that limiting left-turn access would force trucks to make U‑turns in travel lanes. "There's numerous delivery trucks. Semi trucks, trailers, dropping supplies," said Jason Cannon, who owns buildings at 4283 and 4289 Creek Street. "They'll have to get completely in the left-hand side and stop...that's an accident waiting to happen."

County engineers and the project owner’s representative responded that the corridor’s access-management classification and design standards constrained where full median openings could be placed. WGI project engineer Josh Maddox explained the county used anchor points (major side streets) and minimum deceleration lengths when locating median openings. "For a speed limit of 45 miles an hour you're allowed one full median opening every 1,300 feet," Maddox said, noting the design…