Dear Editor:
Our home is located on Sour Springs Rd and our driveway is the last driveway before the cement barrier announcing that, yes, they really meant it, the road really is closed.
At the corner of Chiefswood Road and Sour Springs Road there is signage announcing “the road is closed”, “the bridge is out”, “the road is closed from September 2015 until September 2016”. That’s your first clue. Then there’s the machinery and the big trucks parked along the road. Second clue. If you choose to ignore those clues and keep driving you get to the cement barrier with the big sign and the flashing lights. That’s where many drivers are forced to turn around in our driveway. We have had transport trucks even attempt it and our driveway is short with a narrow entry and steep ditch on each side.
But that’s not what our concern is, so much as the near misses that have been occurring when people think that because they don’t believe the signs are telling that truth, that the cement barrier must be an optical illusion.
Three times we have heard horrible screeching as people try to stop at the last minute. Last night a red Jeep Cherokee didn’t stop in time but managed to swerve around the barrier and ended up the lane of our neighbors who weren’t home just as my husband was ready to pull out the driveway.
It is very disturbing and alarming when this happens and as much as I am annoyed at the person for not abiding by the signage I am even more concerned about somebody being killed.
I babysit my 2 year old granddaughter during the day and I am afraid to take her outside not because I am concerned about all the construction vehicles, because they have been very safety conscious and considerate of our space, but because of the drivers who come barrelling through thinking that someone is pranking them and that the road is not actually closed.
My suggestion to improve safety in this area would be to replace the flashing orange lights with red and blue flashing lights. Maybe then people will slow down and pay attention.
The Hill Family
