Brentwood hires firm to fix Sunset Road problems

By Carolyn Thompson
Diversity Institute Fellow

03.13.06

Printer-friendly page

Brentwood's Board of Commissioners took a step toward relieving traffic congestion on Sunset Road Monday night when it voted to hire an engineering company to design a road-widening plan.

The board unanimously voted to contract Brentwood-based Sullivan Engineering, Inc., for the project. According to city manager Michael Walker, the company will receive approximately $550,000 to design the improvement plan for a 1,800-foot stretch of Sunset Road near Copperstone Subdivision.

Drivers can't see around the tree-lined, narrow two-lane country road, and there is no shoulder, Walker said.

"The area is growing, and for safety sake, this is a top priority because the school is there and dumps traffic in the area," said Mayor Joe Sweeney.

The expansion will widen the road from two lanes to three and will include a turning lane, and creek drainage will be improved.

Some residents were critical of the city's handling of the problems.

"Brentwood has dropped the ball and allowed residents to purchase homes without full knowledge that the city planned to allow through traffic onto Sunset," said Patrick Collins, one of the area's original home buyers.

Mary Smith, another resident, had a different complaint about the traffic. "The cars go too fast and that makes it hard for us to go to our mailboxes," Smith said. "It gets kind of confusing to know when to walk."

Collins said the plan won't resolve any of the traffic and safety issues as more people move into the Sunset area. "This planned improvement is a mere band-aid to a bigger problem that the city is now scurrying to alleviate."

Related

Articles by Winter 2006 Diversity Institute Fellows
Collection of Articles by Winter 2006 Diversity Institute Fellows  03.31.06