Speed limits on several roads in Baldwin County are undergoing adjustments to enhance safety.

The affected roads include Crosby Road, County Road 36, Cliffs Landing Road, Fox Lane and Bishop Trace. Mark Acreman, assistant county engineer, shared insights on the criteria behind these adjustments.

"There was a speed limit change of more than 10 miles per hour, and the road was ending or changing from two lane to one lane," he said.

He emphasized the importance of making speed limit adjustments in 10-mile per hour increments when required.

"For example, dropping from 45 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour should include in intermediate speed of 35 miles per hour," he said. "Also, when a roadway is terminating or reducing in width, it is recommended the speed limit by dropped to 25 MPH to give the motorists ample time to make decisions."

Acreman noted that there were no incidents or accidents on these roads that influenced the decision to change the speed limits; the roads just met the criteria.

To assess the appropriate speed limits for certain roads, the county engineer explained that most county roads are by default 45 miles per hour unless they have safety considerations such as school zones, stop conditions or curves.

To gather data on the roads to determine the new speed limits, Acreman explained that Baldwin County uses a design criterion developed by the Federal Highway Administration and the Alabama Department of Transportation as well as data collected by the Baldwin County Highway Department staff.

According to Acreman, no community concerns regarding the speed limits were voiced.

"We periodically perform safety audits on our county-maintained roads, and occasionally discover opportunities like this to improve roadway safety," Acreman said.