Business owner urges guardrail, rumble strips and extended speed reduction after repeated crashes on Grant Line Road

Blake Bremer, who owns 413 Fit Club at 5455 Grant Line Road, told the Floyd County Commissioners on Jan. 20 that vehicles repeatedly run off the roadway at a curve adjacent to his business and asked the county to consider guardrails, rumble strips, extended reduced speed limits and warning signs.

Bremer said a crash report the sheriff’s office provided shows nine recorded incidents in the area, but he told commissioners those numbers are likely underreported and described other crashes — including a December incident in which a car overturned near his property. He estimated nearby two-way traffic at Payne Road at roughly 9,500 vehicles per day and said that, combined with the curve and an adjacent multi-use path, the location presents a safety concern for his customers and the path users.

Sheriff’s Office staff and county staff acknowledged the area had multiple accidents and told Bremer they would follow up. The chair asked Bremer to provide his materials and said staff (Horatio and Nick were named contacts) would investigate and respond; Bremer asked for contact within 7–10 working days. Commissioners did not vote on a specific project at the meeting and directed staff to review options.

Bremer requested a sliding approach ("good, better, best") that could include rumble strips or signage as lower-cost initial steps and guardrail extension from the first entrance of his parking area to the corner as a more extensive measure. He also thanked the board for having reduced the posted speed limit recently from 50 to 45 mph and suggested possibly extending a 35-mph zone in concert with path development.

The sheriff’s office confirmed it had provided accident records for the area; county staff said they are familiar with the location and will coordinate follow-up with the commenter.