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No More Flying Down Mason County’s Roads

Flying down county roads and leaving behind a wake of dust is no longer allowed since the Mason County Commissioners Court voted at a meeting earlier this month to lower the speed limit.

At the August 9 meeting, commissioners voted to lower the speed limit on county roads to 35 miles per hour from 60 mph. On county roads within unincorporated residential or urban districts such as Fredonia and Pontotoc, the speed limit is 20 mph. A few Mason County roads already had speed limits of 35 or 45 mph.

“We’ve seen a tremendous increase in traffic on our county roads than we used to have,” said Mason County Judge Jerry Bearden, on Monday. “We also have a lot of big trucks traveling on the roads because of development.”

The state statute calls for a 60-mph limit on all county roads unless changed by county officials.

“I’ve already had several calls from people who are appreciative of the change,” Bearden said. “It was a safety issue.”

Safety is the reason behind the change

At a commissioners court meeting last month, residents spoke about the increase in traffic on their county road.

“They expressed their concerns about the safety on their road,” Bearden said.

It was not the first time that Bearden had heard such grumbles.

“Over the past few years, we’ve had several citizens complain about fast drivers,” he said.

The issue is about more than the speed, though; it’s about the surface.

Of the nearly 300 miles of county roads in Mason County, 16 miles are paved. The remaining hundreds of miles have road base that can be comprised of a variety of materials such as sand, caliche, and granite.

“Every part of the county is a little bit different in the type of road base they have,” Bearden said.

He said the main purpose of the change is for safety.

In addition to many unpaved miles, the county’s roads often are curvy, hilly and have plenty of cattle guards.

“People are always hauling equipment up and down these roads,” he said. “Twenty years ago, people were driving half-ton pickups with little 10-foot trailers, and now it’s three-quarter ton or one-ton dually pickups with a 24-foot gooseneck.”

So, what will happen next?

Before folks see the new speed limit reflected in signage, county officials are going to research traffic patterns to determine which road gets signs first.

“We’re going to put traffic counters on about a dozen of the roads so we can get an idea of how much traffic goes by,” he said. “It’s going to be a little costly because we have to buy the material, but we already have a sign-making machine.”

He also does not foresee speed traps proliferating on county roads.

“Law enforcement officers out there patrolling and if they catch someone driving really, really fast, they’ll issue a ticket that’s up to a $200 fine.”

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