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The grace period is winding down in the Town of Kenbridge. In less than three months, the town police will start enforcing the speed reduction on E. 5th Avenue (Highway 137) from Fletcher Flapel Road (Route 601) into town, where the speed limit drops from 55 mph to 45 mph. That enforcement will take effect on Aug. 1, but town officials hope residents will get used to the switch long before that. 

“(The town) has been using the opportunity to educate the community on the new speed limits first,” said Kenbridge Town Manager Tony Matthews. “Most feel that it is a good change to add safety to the roadways.”
The area impacted by the speed limit reduction is the roadway in front of Virginia Marble, Kenbridge Construction, Lunenburg Country Club, and the Kenbridge Emergency Squad. Many of the vehicles in this stretch of East 5th Avenue pull out of their space at a low rate of speed into oncoming traffic following a speed limit of 55 mph.

Town Manager Tony Matthews told the Dispatch that the Kenbridge administration made the change over concerns about safety issues with the surrounding local business and service traffic. In the process, Kenbridge worked with the state’s Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to conduct a traffic study of E. 5th Ave. from Fletcher Chapel Rd. into town to help confirm if a speed limit reduction was necessary. 

The town’s goal is for the 45 mph speed limit to create a safer roadway for all vehicles involved as well as pedestrians in the area. Kenbridge planned for a 6-month period to give motorists time to adjust to the change. 

Kenbridge gets positive feedback

As Matthews shared, the community buzz has been mostly positive so far, with residents voicing optimism about the speed limit change. For the Town’s part, the administration is confident the decision to reduce speed in the area will have a positive impact on the roadways in Kenbridge. 

“(Town officials) obviously feel the reduced speeds will enhance safety in Kenbridge,” Matthews said. “By making drivers more aware of slower traffic, vehicles pulling into moving traffic have a chance to get up to speed before being encountered by a vehicle already moving at 55 mph.”