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Sen. Alvarado asks for Spencer Pike rumble strips

7/10/2015

By Tom Marshall
Senior Advocate writer

In response to a recent fatal traffic accident, state Sen. Ralph Alvarado has sent a letter to the state Transportation Cabinet asking for rumble strips on Spencer Road at the intersection with the Mt. Sterling Bypass.
The rumble strips, also known as rumble lines, would alert motorists to the intersection ahead.

Alvarado, R-Winchester, did so at the request of Montgomery County Commissioner Melody Townsend, whose goal, she said, is to prevent another fatal accident at the intersection.

“There’s obviously something that people are missing when they are going down that road,” Townsend said. “I thought maybe the rumble lines would cause more caution and hopefully save a life.
“If the rumble strips don’t work we’ll try something else to see if that works,” she added.

Alvarado told the Advocate that he hopes to hear something back soon.
Mary Elizabeth Adkins Honeycutt, 73, was killed June 10 in a two-car collision at the intersection. Authorities said she failed to stop at the intersection as she was westbound headed toward town on Spencer Road.

Local officials say that is often the case in accidents there, especially for people who are not familiar with the intersection.

Alvarado asks for a study of the implementation of rumble strips be performed on state Hwy. 713 (Spencer Road).

“Local officials have discussed with me that the addition of rumble lines to Spencer Road may help alert drivers of an upcoming stop and possibly prevent future collisions, which often result in fatalities,” the letter states. “One person was killed recently because she did not stop accordingly and was T-boned by another driver. This is an all too common occurrence in this area.”

The intersection has a red caution light and stop signs, but officials say accidents like Honeycutt’s continue to occur.

Montgomery County Sheriff Fred Shortridge said he plans to contact the Transportation Cabinet as well to request action at the intersection.
Following Honeycutt’s death, Shortridge said that while reducing the speed limit on the Bypass to 45 mph has reduced the number of accidents there, the intersection remains dangerous.

Several people posted Facebook entries in the days that followed asking for a traffic light. The state would have to undertake such a project, however, as the Bypass is a state maintained roadway.

Shortridge said rumble strips would be a good start.

“If they’re not going to put up a signal light then we need to do the next best thing and this is the next best thing,” Shortridge said.

He also encouraged others to call the Transportation Cabinet to ask for more safety measures.

Shortridge said he’s thankful Alvarado has taken on the issue.
“I applaud him for doing it,” he said.

State Rep. David Hale, R-Wellington, said he supports the effort to get rumble strips on Spencer connecting to the Bypass.
“Anything that we could do there to help that intersection as far as safety is something we ought to do,” he said.