The controversy over widening Williamson Valley Road continues. One side argues for maintaining the scenic, historic, and rural value of the road by making only minor improvements to it. I admit that the amazing views make it hard to keep my eyes on the road and easy to agree with this viewpoint. But it’s a dangerous road in it’s current state.
From Outer Loop to Talking Rock Ranch the road is bumpy and winding, with
narrow-to-non-existent shoulders full of gravel, grass, and weeds. There are no guardrails to keep cars out of the deep culverts running alongside it. Trees and heavy brush prevent drivers from seeing animals before they cross the road, as happened recently when one of Talking Rock’s residents accidentally hit a large buck.
I’m in favor of making Williamson Valley Road safer by widening the shoulders and the lanes, adding a median lane, and creating turn and merge lanes for side roads. However, I am not in favor of making it a 5-lane “freeway.” Even though it is a complex problem to solve, the county should be able to engineer an improvement plan for Williamson Valley Road that would enhance its safety while preserving the scenic and rural character of the area.
For the meantime, the northern portion of the road will remain in bad shape because the County doesn’t have the money to renovate it. Instead, the County is looking at options for some type of maintenance plan, like the recent crack sealing project. (Frankly, the entire road surface needs repaving but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.)
Hopefully, the Williamson Valley Road issues will be resolved before we face an even bigger problem of dropping groundwater levels in Williamson Valley. But that’s a subject for another day.
From Outer Loop to Talking Rock Ranch the road is bumpy and winding, with
narrow-to-non-existent shoulders full of gravel, grass, and weeds. There are no guardrails to keep cars out of the deep culverts running alongside it. Trees and heavy brush prevent drivers from seeing animals before they cross the road, as happened recently when one of Talking Rock’s residents accidentally hit a large buck.
I’m in favor of making Williamson Valley Road safer by widening the shoulders and the lanes, adding a median lane, and creating turn and merge lanes for side roads. However, I am not in favor of making it a 5-lane “freeway.” Even though it is a complex problem to solve, the county should be able to engineer an improvement plan for Williamson Valley Road that would enhance its safety while preserving the scenic and rural character of the area.
For the meantime, the northern portion of the road will remain in bad shape because the County doesn’t have the money to renovate it. Instead, the County is looking at options for some type of maintenance plan, like the recent crack sealing project. (Frankly, the entire road surface needs repaving but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.)
Hopefully, the Williamson Valley Road issues will be resolved before we face an even bigger problem of dropping groundwater levels in Williamson Valley. But that’s a subject for another day.
