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BDOT presents corridor study, recommends new 45 mph zone and added signage
Summary
A BDOT presenter told the board that a corridor study found a section with operational speeds near 48–50 mph and recommended establishing a 45 mph zone, additional arrows and chevrons on utility poles; the presentation cited 21 crashes and no fatalities from May 2021 to April 2024 and called for coordination with local law enforcement.
A representative from BDOT, identified in the transcript as Ryan Hopper, gave the county a traffic-corridor update and recommended changes intended to reduce crashes in a section near the courthouse area.
Hopper described how the corridor’s operational speeds vary across three zones, and said a section that had been posted at 55 mph should be changed to 45 mph based on observed speeds and crash patterns. He reported 21 crashes and zero fatalities on the corridor during the three-year period from May 2021 through April 2024 and noted an elevated injury rate at the state level for the corridor. Recommended treatments included additional route signs, chevrons or identification markers on utility poles where poles are within the clear zone, repainting and additional pavement arrows, and a smoothing of a curve to reduce abrupt transitions.
Hopper said the next steps include soliciting enforcement participation from the sheriff’s office and state police and memorializing speed changes through district and central-office approvals. Board members asked staff to address sign obstructions and to continue coordination with law enforcement before formal speed-limit postings are changed.
