Dickson County Advances Road Safety Plan Aimed at Reducing Fatal Crashes

The proposed transportation safety action plan would support future grant applications and establish a goal of working toward zero roadway deaths.

CHARLOTTE — Dickson County commissioners advanced a transportation safety action plan during their October 5 work session, moving toward adoption of a document officials said would help the county pursue roadway improvements and additional grant funding.

Highway Superintendent Jackie Hodges presented the proposal as part of the county’s ongoing work through the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, commonly known as SS4A.

Hodges said the county received the grant a couple of years ago and described the safety action plan as another step in that process.

The plan’s stated goal is to work toward eliminating roadway deaths in Dickson County. Hodges acknowledged the difficulty of reaching that goal but said the county should make the effort.

“The goal of this is to try to get Dickson County to zero deaths on the roadway,” Hodges said.

He also explained that adopting a safety action plan would help demonstrate the county’s commitment to improving road safety when applying for grants.

The proposal gives the county a way to document that commitment as it seeks funding for future work. However, the brief presentation did not identify specific construction projects, high-risk intersections, priority road segments or a schedule for improvements.

Commissioner Rusty Grove made a motion to advance the plan to the next regular commission meeting, with Commissioner Spicer providing the second. The motion passed without voiced opposition.

The work session vote moved the proposal forward for consideration; it did not constitute final adoption of the plan.

The presentation also did not include a funding request for a particular roadway project. No project cost or new grant award was announced as part of the discussion.

Local Traffic Concerns Highlight Safety Challenges

The countywide plan was presented immediately before a separate, more extensive discussion about traffic safety on Hooper and Sherman roads.

During that discussion, Sheriff Tim Eads recommended lowering both roads’ speed limits to 25 mph. Commissioners and highway officials considered additional enforcement, electronic speed displays and physical measures such as speed humps or tables.

Two Hooper Road residents later described near collisions, vehicles leaving the roadway and difficulty safely exiting their driveways. They also raised concerns about school-related traffic and bus drivers.

Those concerns illustrated the types of roadway problems officials are being asked to address. However, the presentation did not establish whether Hooper or Sherman Road is specifically identified in the proposed safety action plan.

Commissioners advanced the speed-limit recommendation separately from the countywide plan.

Details of Future Improvements Remain to Be Presented

The October 5 discussion established the proposed plan’s broad purpose: reducing roadway deaths and strengthening the county’s position when seeking safety grants.

It did not explain how potential improvements would be ranked, which locations would receive attention first or what measures would be used to track progress.

Those details will be important in determining how the plan translates into work on county roads.

For now, the proposal moves to the regular commission meeting, where commissioners can consider formally adopting it as part of the county’s continuing road safety efforts.