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Germantown resident urges city to widen, add lighting and shoulders on Forest Hill Road
Summary
At the Feb. 10 Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, longtime resident Dr. Dwayne Gaither asked the city to expedite safety improvements on Forest Hill Road, citing limited sight lines, trees close to the travel lane, no shoulders and repeated collisions.
Dr. Dwayne Gaither, a longtime Germantown resident, asked the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Feb. 10 to move quickly on safety improvements for Forest Hill Road, saying the narrow roadway and roadside trees have contributed to fatal and nonfatal crashes.
"There are more than 90 trees just on the east side of the road that are within 15 feet of the pavement that have a diameter of more than 12 inches and some of the larger ones are within 1 foot of the pavement," Dr. Gaither said during the citizens-to-be-heard portion of the meeting. "There is no lighting at night and when it is raining, visibility is very restricted. There are no safety shoulders."
Gaither, who said he has lived in Germantown since 1965 and in the Glen Alden neighborhood since 1985, told the board Forest Hill remains the same two-lane road it was 60 years ago while traffic and development on Poplar Pike have greatly increased. "When two large structures passing in opposite directions, there's almost no safe clearance between them," he said, adding that emergency vehicles or service trucks have trouble passing.
The request came during the public-comment agenda item that the board opens for three-minute remarks. Vice Mayor Gibson, who chaired the meeting in Mayor Palazzolo's absence, acknowledged Gaither's remarks but did not provide a staff response during the meeting.
Why it matters: Forest Hill Road connects residential areas to major corridors in northeast Germantown. Residents and several aldermen have previously discussed safety and connectivity in Forest Hill Heights in planning settings; Gaither asked the board to clarify how the city can "expedite this process" so improvements are made for residents and their children.
What was said and what happened next: The board did not take formal action on the request during the Feb. 10 meeting. No staff commitment, funding amount or schedule was presented on the record at that time. Gaither asked the board to report what residents could do to accelerate improvements; none of those next steps were specified at the meeting.
Context and details: In his remarks Gaither provided a home address (9057 Kintyre Place) and described factors he said reduce safety on Forest Hill Road: close tree canopy, limited lighting, hilly topography that restricts sight lines, absence of shoulders, and increased traffic demand. He said the condition has been a known problem "for years" but that prior plans had been postponed or delayed for unspecified reasons.
Looking ahead: The board did not schedule a vote or public hearing on Forest Hill Road during the meeting. If residents want follow-up, the city typically routes roadway safety or capital improvement requests through Public Works or the city engineering review process; Gaither asked the board directly for guidance but no direction was recorded in the Feb. 10 minutes.
