Rose Gatens addresses the Transportation Committee.

Rose Gatens presented a petition of petition of 1,707 names urging the construction of an overpass at the intersection of Route 35 and Hurricane Creek Road to the Putnam County Transportation Committee on Monday, July 29. There have been numerous crashes at the intersection including seven in 2024 alone.

The actual death count since U.S. 35 section at Hurricane Creek opened is unknown but the total appears to be at least nine.

After hearing from several attendees who had lost relatives due to collisions at the crossover and from others in attendance concerning the need of an overpass, Arlie Magney, who serves as a special consultant to State DOT Secretary Jimmy Wriston, responded that he would bend the ears of those who are in a position to make things happen. Magney said that a traffic study is ongoing and no action will be taken until the study is completed.

Magney did not state details concerning the traffic studies but several Fraziers Bottom residents have conducted their own studies. These individuals have experienced the need to slow down and speed up in lanes that are either nonexistent or far too short. Many have been trapped in the median of the four-lane highway waiting for conveys of speeding 18-wheeler to dissipate. It would be reassuring to know that the traffic engineers are looking at more than numbers in their study.

The Transportation Committee also heard complaints concerning issues in other areas of the county. A spokesman for the City of Hurricane requested that the DOH address standing water on lower Virginia Avenue, Main Street, and Harbour Lane, and correct a storm drain issue on Raymond Peak Way. One Red House Hill resident asked when the slip near Confidence Elementary would be fixed. The slip developed 15 years ago and needs to be fixed.