POWELL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A dangerous stretch of Irvine Road in Powell County has become a growing concern for the Clay City Fire Department after two single-vehicle rollover crashes occurred in less than a week.
Major Lisa Johnson from the Clay City Fire Department has dubbed the treacherous section "Dead Man's Curve" due to its hazardous conditions and frequent accidents.
"The road's very windy," Johnson said. "People come out straight from the parkway, they'll come straight out going into Irvine thinking the whole road's straight and if you don't know that road all the sudden you'll hit curves that are so deep."
The dangerous combination of sharp, unexpected curves and driver behavior creates a recipe for disaster on this stretch of roadway, one that drivers often travel at high speeds.
According to Johnson, the Clay City Fire Department has responded to this problematic area more than a dozen times this year alone.
The repeated crashes have prompted the Clay City Fire Department to call for action from state transportation officials. The department is encouraging a review of the area for possible safety improvements, including milling — a road treatment that creates texture to alert drivers of dangerous conditions.
"Which slows the traffic down, it slows the traffic down where when you hit it, you feel the difference in the pavement," Johnson said. "Make people feel the danger in the road before they end up in it."
Despite the numerous responses to accidents in the area, Johnson noted that the department has been fortunate in one respect.
"I've never been on a scene knock on wood there that someone has perished," Johnson said.
However, the fire department's goal is prevention rather than response.
"I don't ever wanna come on the scene there where it's unnecessary," Johnson said.
Clay City Firefighters say they'll continue to work with state representative Bill Wesley to check on possible enhancements in the area.
