Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Whitman County Commissioners Monday approved a reduced speed limit for three-tenths of a mile of Old Moscow Road.
Dropping from 50 mph to 35 mph, the new limit effective Sept. 1 will apply to a section past the last house and before pavement starts.
The length in question concludes at the intersection of Brown Road, a mile-and-a-half from the Idaho state line.
A nearby resident contacted Whitman County Public Works this spring to ask about cutting the 50-mph limit.
At the request of the commissioners, Public Works Director Mark Storey looked into the road's accident history, curve data, traffic counts and studies of average speed of vehicles on the span.
Last year, a pilot soil stabilization project was completed on part of Old Moscow Road – a treatment to reduce dust on the mile leading up to where the reduced-speed will now be posted.
Speed reductions on county roads, although uncommon, do occur. In 2014, the speed limit on South River Road in Palouse was reduced from 50 to 35.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
Reader Comments(0)