The old adage that you had to spend money to make money can be turned on its end a little bit at least as far as Lawrence County Engineer Doug Cade is concerned.

Cade is taking the approach that he has to spend a little money to get a whole lot more money and, ultimately, help save lives.

The engineer is positioning the department to receive approximately $200,000 in transportation grants to fund six safety studies that can help make Lawrence County’s roadways safer and also pave the way for more funding in the future.

And the best part may be that the entire program will only cost about $25,000 in local money, with the rest coming from the grants.

We applaud Cade for these efforts. If Lawrence County did not receive these funds some other community would.

The studies range from looking at safe speeds on curves to analyzing vehicle crash data to looking at pavement marking and signage.

The studies are expected to be completed by July. At that time Cade plans to make application for grants to pay for the construction projects, which should be finished in two years.

All of these and the other studies can work together to create one comprehensive focus on improving our county roadways making them safer for residents and visitors alike.