HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — After years of pushing for changes to make Morman Road safer, a Butler County woman is seeing progress.
WATCH: How one Hanover Township resident is fighting to make her road safer.
Last week, the Hanover Township trustees passed a resolution to lower the speed limit on the road from 55 to 45 mph.
Lori Kelly, a Morman Road resident, said the newly approved lower speed limit is a step in the right direction, but doesn't address her biggest concern: semi-trucks using the road as a cut-through.
“No accidents have happened, but it’s only a matter of time,” Kelly said.
Kelly has lived along Morman Road in Hanover Township for 19 years. She says semi-truck traffic became a concern not long after she moved in, as large trucks began traveling along the road despite its narrow lanes, hills and limited room for drivers to maneuver.
Kelly said she has watched semi-trucks take up nearly the entire width of the road. She also points to the ditches along the roadway and the limited space for drivers to move out of the way if two large vehicles meet.
“These lanes need to be 12 feet on each side, and they’re not,” Kelly said.
Measurements taken by the Butler County Engineer's Office at four locations along Morman Road found lane widths ranging from 8 feet, 8 inches to 9 feet, 9 inches, according to a report Kelly shared.
The maximum width of a 5-axle semi-truck is 8 feet 6 inches, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
“There’s nowhere to go except to hit somebody or go in the ditch and possibly turn over or damage personal property,” Kelly said.
Kelly said she has worked on the issue off and on for about 11 years and requested three speed-limit studies. She said the latest study led to the first improvement she has seen.
But Kelly wants officials to take another step: restrict semi-trucks from using the road as a cut-through while still allowing trucks that need to reach local properties and businesses.
Kelly said drivers have alternate routes available, including Old Oxford Road and Stillwell-Beckett Road.
In a statement to WCPO, Hanover Township said it will continue listening to Kelly’s concerns while waiting for recommendations from the Butler County Engineer’s Office and the Ohio Department of Transportation regarding future steps.
Read the township's full statement:
Hanover Township has met with and listened to the concerns of Mrs. Kelly regarding the speed limit of 55mph and the semi-trucks passing thru on Morman Road., between Old Oxford Rd (St. Rt. 130) and Stillwell Beckett Road. The Township recently passed a resolution to lower the speed limit on this part of Morman Road to 45 mph which was recommended by the Butler County Engineer's Office after completion of a speed study. This change will take a few weeks to complete before the new 45mph speed limit takes effect. Hanover Township will continue to listen to the concerns of Mrs. Kelly and wait for the Butler County Engineer's Office and the Ohio Department of Transportation's recommendation regarding future steps.
Kelly said she hopes the process leads to a more permanent solution for the road.
She also wants other residents who are concerned about local issues to keep speaking up, even when getting answers takes time.
“The system is complicated; in many ways, the system is broken, but that doesn’t mean that you should throw up your hands and give up,” Kelly said. “You can make a difference. I am proof of that.”
WCPO reached out to the Butler County Engineer’s Office for comment, but hasn't heard back by the time of publication.
