Commissioners OK new traffic laws

As of Monday, there were several new speed limits and stop signs on Cole County roads.

The county commissioners approved the changes in June but signed the court orders to put them in effect at Monday's meeting.

The recommendations for these changes came from the county's Traffic and Safety Advisory Board.

The changes that are now in place include:

Increasing the speed limit on West Brazito Road from 45 mph to 55 mph.

Setting the speed limit on Mt. Carmel Road at 45 mph, and 40 mph on the new section of Zion Road, from South Country Club Drive to Route C.

Raising the speed limit on Bald Hill Road to 40 mph.

Stop signs were approved at several locations: Brinkley Road and Mt. Carmel Road; Clarks Ford Road and Mt. Carmel Road; Tellman Road and Millbrook Road; Pleasant Valley and Old Lohman Road; Cody Drive and Renns Lake Road; and Mehmert Place and Wardsville Road.

A yield sign will be replaced with a stop sign at South Country Club Drive and Zion Road, making it a two-way stop.

No parking paint will be placed on part of Bradley Drive. This is in the Westview Heights area and will allow the Sheriff's Department to issue tickets when they find vehicles in violation of the order.

In other action at Monday's commission meeting, commissioners approved a recommendation to remove a hill in the area where a road improvement project is taking place.

Boise Brule Road from Route H to Grove Road will be under construction and open to local traffic only. Workers will be putting in a new roadbed starting at the Route H end working west. The cost to remove this is an estimated $120,000. Rock taken from the hill will be used on another road project and that should save $30,000 for that project.

In April, the Cole County Commission approved a $2.3 million contract with Don Schneiders Excavating for the Boise Brule work, which includes paving the gravel road, as well as work on three bridges/box culverts along the stretch.