DOT will reduce speed on 31 near Salt Works Road

State will also double-line section of road in Shelby

Photo by Tom Rivers – The intersection at Salt Works Road and Route 31 in Shelby will be safer after the DOT posts a speed limit reduction, town officials said on Tuesday.

SHELBY – Motorists will soon have to drive slower on Route 31 on a section of the road just west of the village. Drivers also won’t be allowed to pass another vehicle on a portion of the state highway near the Salt Works Road intersection.

Town of Shelby officials and Orleans County Legislator Bill Eick announced Route 31 will soon have the posted speed limit reduced from 55 to 45 miles per hour about 50 yards west of Salt Works Road to the beginning of the 40 mph zone at the village line. The state Department of Transportation will also double-stripe the road near the intersection.

“We’re hoping it will be taken care of in the next month to month in a half,” Eick said during Tuesday’s Town Board meeting.

He has been pressing the state DOT to improve the safety of the Route 31 and Salt Works Road intersection for a year. He said he was nearly “clipped” about a year ago at the intersection. Town officials said the intersection is currently dangerous because of fast drivers on Route 31 who often pass other vehicles.

“We’ve been trying to do something with that intersection for the last 25 to 30 years,” said Ken Schaal, a Shelby town councilman.

He said a concerted effort by several businesses near the intersection, requesting a speed reduction, helped sway the state to lower the speed limit.