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Resident bemoans unsafe road near home |
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Saturday, 27 June 2009 |
By KELLY DANIELS
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It took the death of his dog to help Bill Chapman realize something had to be in place to slow down speeding drivers on Old Mayhew Road.
“He was run over and killed by an MSU student on that section when he was attracted to the dumpster and crossed the road at this dangerous place on Old Mayhew,” Chapman said Monday.
Chapman appealed to the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors on Monday to place a traffic safety device — namely a speed bump — on the road to force drivers to reduce their speed.
Chapman, who lives close to a hill with a blind turn for drivers from both directions, has recently tried moving his mailbox to Cambridge Drive to make it safer for his mailman.
The blind spot becomes more hazardous when garbage laborers block a section of the hill.
“Since the construction of the apartments and golf course at the northeast end of Old Mayhew, traffic has increased substantially,” Chapman said.
“The majority of drivers appear to be college-age students, many of whom drive faster than conditions warrant.
“We frequently observe drivers using cell phones as they drive past our property.
Chapman suggested that the board consider making the intersection of Old Mayhew and Bardwell Road a three-way stop, or control traffic speed by adding a speed table, other traffic device.
After District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer made a few suggestions, the board agreed that something had to be done.
Another local citizen, John T. Johnson, brought his road complaint to the board, this one deploring the dilapidation of Williams Road, a mile of which he said was in “terrible shape” from potholes.
“I know you all have a county to take care of,” he said, before relaying the history of his road that has never been touched by a repairman since it was first paved.
The road was not soil cemented as the standard way of paving new roads is implemented toady.
“We don’t have dust, but cars are damaged by it,” he said.
Trainer said he had several roads that are similar in his district.
“A long time a go, we issued a 20-year bond issue, but what people didn’t understand is that roads don’t last that long,” he said.
The county operates on a four-year road plan focused on building roads more than maintaining them.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 28 June 2009 )
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