News

Citing hazard, council seeks to lower speed limit at Church Street trail crossing

Speed limit on South Church Street rises from 20 mph to 35 mph south of Caswell-Kanuga and a block north of the Ecusta Trail crossing.

By Bill Moss, Published: October 1, 2025

Southbound drivers on Church Street can if they choose nearly double their speed legally once they pass Caswell/Kanuga, from 20 mph to 35 mph.

The anomaly was little noticed nor remarked upon until the Ecusta Trail opened. Now it's widely seen as a hazard.

"There have been numerous concerns raised to city staff and others in the community regarding the road and Ecusta Trail intersections and bike and pedestrian safety since the trail opened this summer, notably at Church Street," Brent Detwiler, assistant city manager for public services, said in a memorandum to the Hendersonville City Council in support of a staff request to make all of Church and King streets 20 mph. The request is on the council's agenda Thursday night. The 20 mph speed limit would apply to King and Church from Five Points to the merger of those streets and South Main Street.

Not only did city engineers note the discrepancy in the speed limit.

"Further investigation," the staff memo said, "has revealed that the North Carolina Department of Transportation has data and mapping that indicate all of Church Street and part of King Street is 35 mph," although that is not the posted speed limit. "Staff is presenting a resolution for Council to request that NCDOT reduce the speed limit to 20 mph for both Church Street and King Street."

A five-paragraph resolution on the council docket cites the need to "provide the safest possible environment for drivers and pedestrians to reduce the likelihood of accidents" and asks the NCDOT to make the speed limit 20 mph uniformly, replace signs and "update records, maps and data accordingly."