By Eason Franklin
The Lowndes Signal

County Commissioners are asking commuters to obey the speed limit on Highway 37 until road crews can assess road damage caused by water.

A nearly-200-foot-long area of extensive road damage past Calhoun High School led the Lowndes County Commission to issue a 15 mph speed limit instead of the normal 40 mph.

“We have continued to submit numerous applications for this project,” said County Commissioner Marzett Thomas. “It’s imperative this problem be taken care of as soon as possible.”

County Engineer David Butts said state emergency funding has been applied for and the State Department of Transportation is reviewing the engineering proposal to correct the problem.

“The water table under the road is causing the terrain to slide,” said Butts. “Emergency funds will allow us to fix the problem.”

Lowndes County will be required to pay 20 percent of the funds for the fix with the state paying the remaining 80 percent. Potential consultants are being reviewed by the state.

Previous attempts have been made to fix the road problems, though Butts said previous attempts were only a “band-aid” on the problem.

“It’s unknown how long it will take the geographical technician to analyze the problems and until that time it will be unknown how long construction will take,” said Butts.