Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
People living on Q 1/2 say signage has done little to reduce accidents.
Roosevelt County and city of Portales officials are conducting a survey on Roosevelt Road Q 1/2, known as "Roller Coaster Road," east of Portales, to determine how to make the road safer. The road has a deep dip in the center of it.
By Alisa Boswell
Managing editor
PORTALES - Roosevelt County officials are working to find the best solution for a county road that appears to be getting increasingly more dangerous for local drivers.
County Manager Amber Hamilton updated commissioners Tuesday during their regular meeting regarding where the city and county stand with finding a solution to the dangerous conditions on Roosevelt Road Q 1/2.
The road, also known by locals as "Roller Coaster Road," leads to the city of Portales waste water plant but also has residents living on it, and has a deep dip in the middle.
Roy Kiker and Stacey Haley, who both live on the road right next to the dip, said the road usually averages two to three accidents per year, but this past summer, there were four to five accidents on the road in a three-week period.
Kiker and Haley said people traveling at a high rate of speed is definitely the cause of all the accidents on the road with Kiker saying two stop signs placed next to the dip about two years ago have not helped the problem.
Both residents said it appeared as if the dip got deeper after the road was reconstructed after the city laid the pipeline for the waste water plant.
"It seems like we've had more severe accidents this year than ever before," Haley said, adding that one accident over the summer involving a young female was severe.
Sheriff Malin Parker said Thursday that he was unaware of any fatalities on the road, but he did recall accidents occurring on the road over the summer.
The road was discussed by commissioners at the Nov. 15 meeting, along with City Manager Sammy Standefer, who offered to have the city pay half the cost for a survey of the road because the city needs access to the plant.
Road Superintendent Ricky Lovato said at the Nov. 15 meeting that putting a barrier south of the intersection, a road closure sign on 21st Street and a barrier north of the plant would be the most fiscally sound option if the road were to be closed.
He also said three sets of LED blinking signs would cost a total of $4,587.40 while four sets of concrete barriers would cost $2,195.
Hamilton told commissioners on Tuesday she and other officials have been on multiple field trips to the road to come up with solutions.
She said Standefer has arranged for Lydick Engineering of Clovis to do a survey of the ditch and the road in order to understand the right-of-way on the road and how much room drivers have.
"We will have a clear measurement of the road that will be able to guide us to determine if we have enough space to put up concrete barriers along the ditch and still have adequate spacing for the roadway."
Hamilton told commissioners she anticipates being able to have the item back on the agenda as an action item when the commission meets again Jan. 10.
"You will have multiple options to consider, closing the road altogether; we're looking at three different access points to be able to provide turning radius for those individuals who get caught there," she said. "We are also looking at being able to keep the road open and functional but what would be the best case for being able to put concrete barriers up."
After the survey is completed, the county commission and city council intend to meeting on what action to take.
