Staff Writer

Drivers on Highway 231 between Troy and Brundidge need to watch their speeds because the Alabama Department of Transportation has officially lowered the speed limit from 65 to 55 miles per hour.

The new signs began going up on June 19, lowering the speed limit to 55 all the way from Troy to Pea River.

According to Mike Griffin, Seventh Division engineer for the ADOT, the decision to lower the speed was made in order to comply with federal guidelines regulating road geometry.

Griffin said the curbs along portions of the highway were not high enough to meet the requirements for the speed limit to be set at 65. Because the road didn’t meet requirements, the federal government would not have funded the road construction that the ADOT has planned for later this year.

Griffin said the ADOT could have elected to restructure the road to meet federal standards, but it would have cost too much money.

"It would not have been economically possible," Griffin said. "It would have increased the cost of our construction too much, and we would have had to purchase additional right-of-way to meet federal standards."

Instead, the department elected to lower the speed limit to 55.

"We submitted a request to lower the speed limit and got the papers back a few days ago," Griffin.

With the speed reduced, the highway meets federal standards and the ADOT can receive federal funding for work on the portion of highway between Troy and Brundidge.

"It’s going to be more than just a resurfacing," Griffin said. "We’re going to be reconstructing the road. It’s going to be a very involved process."