Davidson passes resolution to lower speed limit on busy road

DAVIDSON, N.C. — Davidson town commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday night to lower the speed limit on a road known for serious crashes.

Commissioners will ask the North Carolina Department of Transportation to lower the limit on Davidson-Concord Road from 55 to 45 mph in one section and 45 to 35 mph in another.

Parents told Channel 9 they're upset and many have seen cars speeding down Davidson-Concord Road.

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Parents like Jana Watt want NCDOT to reduce the speed limit to 35 mph so drivers have enough time to stop for kids crossing the street.
 
"Like this guy is probably doing 52, 55, that's fast," Watt said. "And try crossing the street. That's scary."
In 2013, Mason Stewart, 16, was hit by a truck along the stretch of road.
 
He was airlifted to a hospital and survived.
The crash that injured mason was one of 14 at the intersection of Robert Walker and Davidson-Concord Road.
 
There have been 112 crashes in the past eight years along a two-and-a-half-mile stretch between Highway 73 and Rocky River Road.
 
Watt used speed gun one day to clock drivers and took video of a car speeding past a school bus.
"For me, that my last straw," she said. "The question for me? 'What do you want to happen?' I want the speed limit lowered."

A similar resolution passed two years ago after the crash that injured Mason, but nothing was done.

NCDOT officials told Channel 9 that studies have been done in the past year and they feel the current speed limit is safe.

"It wasn't what I wanted to hear because it's not realistic," Watt said. "They are like, 'This road is rural.' There's nothing on this road that like rural to me."

The resolution will now go to NCDOT officials, who will make the final decision.
 
NCDOT officials said they will continue to review Davidson-Concord Road as requested by citizens or local governments.

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