Algood Planning Commission Members calling for additional turn lanes off Highway 111 at Mirandy Road to address growing safety concerns.
Planning Commissioner Buck Fowler said the lack of dedicated turn lanes is an omission compared to other nearby intersections. Fowler said the current configuration forces heavy truck traffic to stop directly on the highway, creating a dangerous situation for motorists.
“Why don’t we push the state for turn lanes off of 111 onto Mirandy Road and East Main Street?” Fowler said. “Quinland Lake Road got one. Why why Mirandy Road and East Main Street not got one?
Engineer Bob Lane said the state typically bases such infrastructure improvements on specific traffic equations and accident history. Lane said the intersections currently lack proper paint qualifications, such as stop lines, and would benefit from acceleration and deceleration lanes.
“I mean he exactly you go down there and just watch East Main Street how many trucks go up and down through there and barely there’s a line there and all them trucks are stopping on 111,” Fowler said. “I mean it it’s ridiculous that there’s not one.”
Staff Planner Tommy Lee said the city could potentially see quick improvements through updated road markings. Lee said that while paint is a minimal amount of work, it could serve as a first step toward more permanent structural changes.
The board also discussed the impact of heavy truck traffic through the central business district, noting that Main Street serves as a primary route for the local quarry and pavement plant. Lane said the city cannot easily reroute these trucks because alternative roads are not built to withstand the weight of the loads.
“That’s the disadvantage maybe in having a quarry and a and a pavement plant right here in the edge of your city it’s it is what it is they’ve been there a long time and it’s just you know they’ve been there a long time you can’t change that so,” Lane said.
