News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
White County Commissioners will ask T-DOT to reduce the speed limit from 55 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour on a certain section of Highway 70.
Accidents have risen from the intersection of Lizard Lane and Rock Cut Road, extending westward for approximately three and a half miles to near Cassville Elementary School. White County Commission Chairman Derrick Hutchings said the county wants to reduce the speed limit to make it safer.
“So that’s a really highly congested area right there,” Hutchings said. “OT Jones Crossroads we have had several fatality wrecks and the dollar store you back up to Lizard Lane you get the entrance to the ballfields for the county complex over there so it’s just a really congested area all the way to the school.”
Hutchings said the county has to submit a request to T-DOT to reduce the speed as the county does not have the authority to change the speed limit as it is a state road. Hutchings said County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson had already submitted a letter to T-DOT requesting a speed limit reduction but the state said Robinson would need support from the county commission and the sheriff in order for the state to consider reducing the speed limit.
“They are not going to make any other changes as far as red lights or stop signs or anything of that nature they have done what they are going to do at this time right there,” Hutchings said. “They said if we wanted to adopt a reduced speed limit change that if it came from us that it would be highly considered by the state to do that.”
Hutchings said if T-DOT approved the request the county submits then the county would be responsible for covering the cost of the changes.
“If we requested a case study to be done on it and we would have to do that,” Hutchings said. “And if we requested it and something was found then the state said we would be responsible for paying for those changes and that basically they have to take it upon their self to do some kind of case study before they would make a change and pay for it. It’s an intersection of two state roads it doesn’t make sense to me but that’s the answer that was given.”
Hutchings said T-DOT has done a study at OT Jones Crossroads and ended up moving signage and adding some caution strips to prevent parking close to the road in front of Dodson’s Repair Shop. Hutchings said Robinson will now send a second letter with support from County Sheriff Steve Page and the County Commission. Hutchings said he hopes to have an answer back from TDOT by the December commission meeting.
In other business, The commissioner approved two budget resolutions. The first resolution consisted of appropriating a Mental Health Transport Grant to help pay for the expenses of transporting mental health patients, appropriate Community Development Block grant to purchase Emergency Medical Service equipment.
The second resolution was the appropriation of $530,000 to purchase two garbage roll-off trucks for the White County Solid Waste Department.
The commissioners approved the appointment of members to the White County Industrial Development Board. The members are Rodger McCann, Megan Choate, Hoyt Jones, Gary Peterson, Mike Prater, and Brent Young.
