Lawrence County Commissioners are asking the Ohio Department of Transportation to reduce the speed limit on five county roads.

That request was made at its Thursday meeting following the recommendation of County Engineer Doug Cade whose office conducted speed zone studies last year.

Those roads are County Road 26 in the Rock Hill school district; County Road 29 or Paddle Creek Road; County Road 410 or Walmart Way; County Road 403 or Irene Road; and County Road 107 at the village limits of Proctorville.

These were chosen after a study showed they were the site of a significant number of accidents or drivers traveling at excessive rates of speed. All of the roads except for County Road 107 currently have a speed limit of 55 mph. County Road 107 has a limit of 45 mph.

However some speeds were clocked from 66.6 mph to 82.8 mph including in school zones.

Cade wants the speed zones cut to 45 and 30 mph.

Also at the meeting Commission President Les Boggs praised the rescue work under way at the county dog shelter where last week out of 125 dogs at the shelter 40 dogs were adopted or went to rescue and none were euthanized.

“Three years ago if there were 125, 120 would be put down,” Boggs said. “The people do a great job. It isn’t the dog’s fault (it is abandoned). It is the fault of the owner.”

In other action the commission:

• Approved a permit for AEP to enter the right of way on County Road 115 to install three utility poles and conductors;

• Approved a permit for Scioto Water to enter the right of way on County Road 28 to install a new six-inch water line;

• Received a petition to vacate Township Road 1371;

• Received a petition to create a township road for Private Drive 2306 in Rome Township;

• Received the weekly dog warden report where no dogs were destroyed; 40 were adopted and two were redeemed by their owners.