Leaders at Diamond Grove Baptist Church in Suffolk are pushing the city to reconsider a request for a crosswalk on Crittenden Road, telling officials that church members risk their safety every time they cross from an overflow parking lot in the Sandy Bottom community. The plea, delivered to the Suffolk City Council, centers on fast-moving traffic that church leaders say has increased since the Kings Highway Bridge closed.
Rev. Henry Diggs and Richard Goodwin, chairman of the church's board, brought their concerns to the full council on Oct. 7, according to The Suffolk News-Herald. Diggs described witnessing someone nearly get struck by a vehicle while crossing the road after a funeral, and he recounted the death of a relative who was struck and killed by a vehicle on Crittenden Road. He told the committee that church members simply need some indication of where people are supposed to cross the street.
Overflow Parking Forces a Dangerous Crossing
Diamond Grove Baptist Church members routinely park across Crittenden Road from the church itself, in the Sandy Bottom community, when additional overflow space is needed during services and events, Goodwin said, per the same account. Church leaders say that arrangement has become increasingly hazardous as more vehicles use the road. Diggs noted that nearby churches already have crosswalks and other traffic-safety features. Goodwin pointed to a neighboring church with a marked crossing and questioned why Diamond Grove did not have one.
Goodwin pointed to a specific cause for the uptick: traffic increased substantially after the Kings Highway Bridge closed, sending more vehicles along Crittenden Road between northern Suffolk and other parts of the city, the News-Herald reported. He urged officials not to abandon the crosswalk request, arguing that while the church cannot move its building, the city can help make it safe for members to cross.
Council Members Weigh In on Interim Fixes
Council member Lue Ward said he had observed vehicles traveling quickly along Crittenden Road and noted that fast traffic makes it especially difficult for older residents to judge when it is safe to cross. Ward urged the city not to leave the crossing as it is or wait for someone to be hurt or killed, suggesting a sheriff's deputy or another temporary traffic-control measure to protect churchgoers until a permanent solution is identified. Ward voiced support for reconsidering the crosswalk request outright.
Fellow council member Shelly Butler Barlow asked City Manager Kevin Hughes to speak directly with church representatives about possible alternatives, and she said she would support finding a safety measure even if it does not fit standard city guidelines, the outlet reported. Suffolk city engineers have since examined the location named in the crosswalk request, and the Public Safety Committee had reviewed the matter previously.
Bridge Closure Reshapes Traffic Patterns
The Kings Highway Bridge at the center of Goodwin's traffic complaint has a long history tied to this stretch of Suffolk. The original north-south span over the Nansemond River was demolished in 2007, and the City of Suffolk says limited infrastructure and river crossings in the area currently result in circuitous travel patterns for residents. The city is now studying a replacement bridge on a preferred east-west alignment connecting Nansemond Parkway and Godwin Boulevard, with a concept study underway that is planned to advance to 30 percent design.
Plans for that replacement call for a new two-lane roadway and bridge with shoulders, a 5-foot sidewalk and a 10-foot shared-use path, according to the city. For now, though, Goodwin says more vehicles use Crittenden Road since the bridge closed, while congregants continue to cross the road.
