Hearing on Rt. 103 speed limit at GM High School

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC

The Agency of Transportation will hold a hearing next week to take public testimony on lowering the speed limit on Rt. 103 around the Green Mountain High School in Chester.

VTrans officials will hear public comment on the current speed limits and how they might be changed from 10 a.m. to noon on Monday May 20 on the second floor of Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St., Chester.  The hearing was originally scheduled for the same time on May 30 but was rescheduled because it conflicted with Chester’s Memorial Day parade, which is held on the traditional date.

Currently, the speed limit increases from 30 mph to 40 mph around the American Legion traveling south, although many vehicles are already exceeding that limit. Vehicles heading north into Chester can be traveling up at 40 – and often higher – when they reach the driveway of the high school.

This has been a topic of discussion at Chester Select Board meetings, with members noting that there are often people — usually students — walking along this stretch of road as well as drivers entering and exiting the highway there. Past requests for lowering speed limits near the school have been unsuccessful, but according to Town Manager David Pisha, this is the first time VTrans has scheduled a visit and meeting to get input.