Slow down in Chuckatuck

Published 10:45 pm Thursday, November 10, 2011

Drivers traveling Godwin Boulevard are going to have to pump their brakes as they journey into Chuckatuck from downtown.

The speed limit on the stretch on the highway that winds through the Chuckatuck and Oakland communities was lowered recently from 45 mph to 35.

“This modification results in a consistent 35 mph speed zone through the village,” said city spokeswoman Debbie George.

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The new limit affects the stretch of road from Pembroke Lane to Birch Lane. The section is a little less than a mile long.

George said the change was put in place after a speed study conducted by the city in September.

The traffic engineering department received several requests from citizens and the Suffolk Police Department to reduce the speed limit on that part of the highway, according to the study.

“Complaints center on the need to slow through traffic on Godwin Boulevard, especially as vehicles attempt to turn into and out of driveways,” the study says.

The study considered road characteristics, shoulder condition, grade, alignment, visibility, pace speed, roadside development, parking practices and pedestrian activity, and reported crashes.

“While the collected traffic data suggests that 45 mph may be the appropriate speed limit for this section of Godwin Boulevard, the crash history shows a clear trend of collisions involved vehicles trying to pull into or off of this section of highway,” the study says.

The study says the section of Godwin Boulevard has an average of 10,455 vehicles per day, going an average speed of 42.1 mph.

Additionally, there were 19 crashes between 2008 and 2010 where speed might have been a contributing factor.