190th Street to see permanent, reduced speed limits

     The speed limit will soon change on 190^th Street, leading to Camp Courageous and Pictured Rocks Park off Highway 38.

   During the May 16 Jones County Board of Supervisor meeting, the board took County Engineer Derek Snead's recommendation and approved a resolution to lower the speed limit along that stretch of roadway.

   Snead has been in contact with Charlie Becker, CEO of Camp Courageous. This has been an ongoing situation for several years now.

   "Jones County is extremely fortunate to have Camp Courageous," commended Snead. "They are constantly changing and evolving; there have been a number of changes in the last couple of years. They have a lot going on. It's turning into activity on both sides of the road with a lot of new development. There's a lot of cross-traffic."

   Through use of a DOT traffic study, it was determined that the speed limit on 190^th Street, that of 55 mph, "is greater than was reasonable and proper due to increased pedestrian activity and development along the roadside."

   The speed limit will remain 55 mph from Highway 38 eastward to roughly 1,300 feet east of 130^th Avenue. At that point, it will decrease to 35 mph eastward to about 550 feet east of 122^nd Avenue. Here, it will decrease even further to 25 mph to the end of 190^th.

   Sheriff Greg Graver commented that traffic traditionally picks up this time of year with people on the Maquoketa River via Pictured Rocks.

   "There is so much traffic in and out; it's highly utilized," he said.

   Snead said people turn in and out of the parking area that was established for those on the river. The majority of those license plates are not local, county residents.

   "At the end of the day, the speed zones are only as effective as the driving conditions and law enforcement," he said. "In these early stages, a little extra attention and enforcement will be needed."

   He said the installation of additional signs and a new pedestrian crossing will hopefully warn people to slow down.

   "This would be a great deployment of our speed trailer, too," suggested Graver.