With petitions from residents and recommendations from the county engineer, the Escambia County Commission voted to reduce the speed limit on portions of four roads.
First approved was reducing the speed limit on Grissett Bridge Road from 45 mph to 35 mph from the Barnett Highway intersection west for four miles and then reducing the limit to 25 mph west to the end of the asphalt pavement.
Commissioner Larry White said he received a petition from residents along the road requesting the drop in the speed limit.
County Engineer Parker Ross told the commission the speed reduction was warranted, noting the road structure is in poor condition and said he’s seeking grant funds to address that issue. He noted the road has a lot of curves.
Ross did note that the petition also requested speed bumps but said that’s something the county does not do on county roads, saying studies show they are ineffective in slowing traffic, but increase the county’s liability.
The commission also voted to reduce the speed limit on the county-maintained portion of Old Fishpond Road to 25 mph from Damascus Road north for about 0.3 miles. Commissioner Raymond Wiggins said he had received several requests from residents asking the speed limit be lowered.
The commission also voted to reduce the speed limit on Sardine Road (County Road 27) and Robinsonville Road.
The reduction from 45 mph to 40 mph on Sardine Road from the Foshee Road (County Road 18) intersection to Stanley Crossroads is in accordance to federal design guidelines.
The Robinsonville Road limits will drop from 45 mph to 40 mph from Stanley Crossroads to the 35 mph speed zone near the Sardis Church Road.
Ross said he checked back on speed design recommendations for those roads and agreed they needed to be lowered.
In other business Monday, the commission:
- Approved the USDA lease renewal at the agricultural center with amended charges from $11.66 per square foot to $12.50 per square foot.
- Rejected all bids for Bituminous Surface Treatments for county roads. Ross said it was something his office had been looking into, but decided not to proceed in the middle of the fiscal year.
- Approved the tax insolvents, errors and litigation report submitted by Tax Collector Tim Pettis.
- Authorized Commissioner Larry White as the voting member to represent Escambia County at the National Association of Counties (NACO) legislative conference to be held July 12-15 in Tampa, Fla. White noted there would be no expense to the county for him to attend the conference.
- Approved the back-to-school sales tax holiday for July 19 through July 21.
- Heard from Ross and Assistant County Engineer Brad Solomon who wanted the public to know that in July work will begin on Wallace Road for drainage pipe replacements and work on the railroad crossing. Solomon there will be some road closures while the work is being done. He also said at the same time work will be done on the railroad crossing of Wolf Log Road.
