By Erica Smith  

For the Enquirer  

Speed limits will soon decrease on four Morgan County roads after a traffic study found that the typical 45 mph for county roads was too fast. 

“We have many roads in District 2 and throughout the county that are small and narrow, and as they become more populated, the need to reduce the speed limit becomes of greater realization,” said Morgan County District 2 Commissioner Randy Vest. 

District 2 Commissioner Randy Vest

Three roads in District 2 and one in District 3 will now have decreased speed limits. 

“Forty-five is the speed limit on every county road, not only in Morgan County, but through every county in the entire state, unless otherwise posted,” Vest said. 

The speed limit on Brownee Lane off of East Parker Road in District 2 has been decreased to 35 mph. Burleson Road between Brownee Lane and Mount Tabor Road in District 2 has been decreased to 25 mph. Wynn Wallace Road between Danville Road and Ironman Road in District 2 has been decreased to 40 mph. Frost Road off of Alabama 55 in District 3 has been decreased to 40 mph. 

Vest and District 3 Commissioner Don Stisher said the four roads are not known for having many accidents. 

“It’s just been a concern for a lot of the people that live on the roads with animals and small children that play in the front yard,” Vest said. “They’re concerned about a car traveling too fast, leaving the road and coming up into the yard and hurting their child or their pets.” 

Stisher said Frost Road was recently rebuilt and resurfaced and the speed limit is always taken into consideration after completion. 

“It’s newly paved, newly striped, it’s a cut-through road, so traffic had gotten a little bit fast,” he said. “We just needed to legally post it for everybody’s safety because it’s a nice, neat, new road. No potholes in it, so people get excited and just get a little carried away. Needed to rein them in, make sure they stay safe and not speed.” 

Morgan County Engineer Greg Bodley performed the traffic study. 

“We go out there and look at the road. Look at the width, look at the density and development. The condition of the roads, the type of roads, do they have a lot of horizontal, vertical curves,” he said. “Then we’ll do traffic counts and speed studies to see what the prevailing speeds in the area are and then make a determination of what we recommend the speed to be.” 

Vest said he is sure there are plenty of other roads in the county where the speed limit will need to be addressed eventually. The three roads in District 2 will have the new speed limit signs posted this week. Frost Road in District 3 already has the new limit signs posted.