Southampton supervisors request VDOT safety study on US‑58 and schedule public hearing on Trinity Church Road

The Southampton County Board of Supervisors voted on Jan. 27 to request a Virginia Department of Transportation safety study of US‑58 between Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and the Emporia city limits and to advertise a public hearing next month concerning restrictions on Trinity Church Road.

County staff (speaker 3) told the board that VDOT did not find a concentrated accident history at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church itself but did report higher accident counts within the broader corridor. Staff presented a resolution asking VDOT to "conduct a safety study" and the board adopted the resolution by voice vote.

Supervisor Cornwell's concern about increasing truck traffic on Trinity Church Road prompted a separate motion to advertise a public hearing. A committee member (speaker 8) noted the matter was on the agenda previously and said the board should "have a study conducted to have them take a look at it and see if it's even warranted." The board agreed to advertise and consider the issue at its February meeting.

Both measures were procedural referrals: the Pleasant Grove resolution asks a state agency to analyze crash and traffic data, and the Trinity Church Road action will bring local public input back to the board at the February session. No road closures or restrictions were implemented at the Jan. 27 meeting; both items will return with study results or public hearing testimony.