City Council elects to lower speed limits

With the approval of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, motorists will be slowing down on their way in and out of Guthrie.

The Guthrie City Council met Tuesday evening and unanimously agreed to take the Street Committee’s proposal of lowering the speed limit on South Division (US 77).

The speed limit reduction from 55 mph to 45 mph would go past the entrances of Mission Hills housing edition and the Savanah House apartment complex intersection. Beginning at Prairie Grove Road (traveling south), the speed limit will remain 55 mph and beginning at Prairie Grove (traveling north) would slow down to 45 mph.

There have been 9 wrecks in the area stemming from a vehicle slowing or stopping to turn into one of the entrances.

The council also agreed to lower the speed limit on Walnut Street to make it more consistent with other city streets. With the increase in traffic (vehicles and pedestrians), council took the committee’s suggestion of decreasing the speed from 35 mph to 25 mph. The new speed limit would begin from Noble to Hillcrest.

The committee came to the solution that decreasing the speed would help in safety with not only vehicles (including buses), but for school children who walk to and from school and pedestrians who run the popular street.

Finally, the council also took the suggestion of the street committee and agreed to close down numerous roads in the Cottonwood Flats area on the west side of town upon the approval of the Fire Department and Bluegrass Festival Organization.

Roads to be closed include: Washington street from 8th to 5th street, 6th street from Mansur to College, Mansur from 7th to 8th street, 7th street from Warner to Mansur and 4th street from Warner to Logan.