County raises speed limit over protests

EPHRATA — Despite the objection of local residents present, the Grant County Commission voted unanimously on Tuesday to raise the speed limit on a nearly 2-mile stretch of Lower Crab Creek Road to 50 mph from the current 35.

“Everyone on our road wants to keep [the speed limit] 35, including the hunt club,” said JoAnn Pelham, one of a handful of residents who live in a small community along Lower Crab Creek Road south of Royal City and about two miles east of the intersection with Rd. E Southwest.

“Most folks go slow by the houses and the hunt club, but some like to go way faster than they should be,” Pelham said.

The speed limit along that stretch of road had been lowered to 35 mph because the unpaved road was in poor condition. However, earlier this year, the road was graded and coated with a sealant to keep the dust down, which allowed people to travel faster.

“I’ve been down your road, and it was horrible,” said Commission Chair Cindy Carter. “We leveled it and sealed it, and now people can drive it faster.”

According to Jeff Tincher, public works director and road engineer for Grant County, a traffic study in late spring showed that the average speed on that stretch of highway was around 50 miles per hour despite the posted 35 mph speed limit.

Tincher also said he could not recommend reclassifying the road as “primitive” because while unpaved, the traffic study showed an average traffic count above 100 vehicles per day, the maximum allowed for a primitive road.

Commissioners did, however, approve a “congested area” warning sign for the small settlement, and promised to do more enforcement of the existing speed limit laws.

This still didn’t make Pelham happy.

“One of these days there will be a major accident,” she said. “People go too fast.”