We just had a conversation with our hard-working Town Manager, Cliff Ogburn, who told us that he is “discouraged from closing all four roads” off of East Dogwood Trail this weekend because such action would “cause too much of a negative impact.”
After sending out postcards to Hickory Trail homeowners notifying them that their street would be closed Saturday and Sunday, Mr. Ogburn said he would decide tomorrow which of the four streets—Hickory Trail, Hillcrest Drive, Sea Oats Trail, and Wax Myrtle Trail—would be closed to left-turning northbound traffic.
(See The Beacon’s post earlier today.)
He also said that he is still evaluating the timing for the closures, which may not correspond exactly with the times when the left-turn ban at the intersection of U.S. Hwy 158 and South Dogwood Trail is in effect.
Last weekend, Mr. Ogburn experimented with preventing northbound left turns from East Dogwood Trail, and, like The Beacon, received “mixed responses” from residents about the barricades, some of them quite angry. He told us that some people were “really upset at the idea of altering their transportation” routes.
The chains blocking the left turns from East Dogwood were not in place on Sunday, he said, when the traffic was lighter than it was the previous day.
We think Mr. Ogburn is between a rock and a hard place, and we congratulate him for taking some action this summer to curb the cut-thru traffic. He seems to us to be thoughtfully evaluating all of the options, while also trying to give residents ample notice of closures. Stay tuned.
Ann G. Sjoerdsma, 7/13/21
The Southern Shores Beacon 
Build the bridge.
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