Galesburg’s Traffic Advisory Committee is recommending safety enhancements for Lake Storey Road, including advisory speed limits on its curved sections, following a fatal crash in November 2025 and ongoing concerns about excessive speeds.
The February 2026 report, which will appear on Monday’s City Council agenda but requires no action, proposes a 25 mph advisory speed limit for all curved portions of South, West, and North Lake Storey Roads.
This follows the committee’s earlier recommendation to reduce the enforceable speed limit from 45 mph to 35 mph on South Lake Storey Road from Allison Campground to U.S. 150 (Henderson Street), making it consistent with the rest of the road.
Advisory Speed Limits and Enforcement
Lake Storey Road is a county highway, with speed limits determined by Knox County. The section lies within Galesburg city limits, so the city sets matching ordinances to ensure uniform enforcement by local law enforcement.
Previously: Galesburg residents seek lower speed limit on South Lake Storey Road after fatal crash
City of Galesburg Director of Public Works Aaron Gavin explained that advisory speed limits are non-enforceable warnings for safe speeds in curves, not changing the overall enforceable limit.
“The existing advisory speed limit in the curved sections is 30 mph, and we recommend lowering it to 25 mph,” Gavin said. According to Gavin, advisory speed limits commonly appear on interstate exit ramps, and the city has a few other locations with them, such as on North and South Soangetaha Road.
Recent speed data collected from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4, 2026, along South Lake Storey Road between Log City Trail and Lakeside Court showed an 85th percentile speed of 45 mph. Of the 6,054 vehicles counted, 646 (10.7%) exceeded 45 mph, and 4,979 (82.2%) exceeded 35 mph.
Crash records from 2020 to 2025 show multiple incidents within the curves west of Cottonwood Lane and at the intersection of North Henderson Street.
These concerns were underscored by a Nov. 22, 2025, head-on crash in the 1300 block of South Lake Storey Road near the Allison Campground entrance, where 72-year-old Marte Glass of Galesburg died from injuries on Nov. 30. The other driver faces charges including reckless homicide and aggravated DUI.
Next Steps and County Support
The County Engineer has agreed to present the speed limit reduction to the Knox County Board, though no timeline has been set. The city will discuss the advisory speed limit changes with the county following next week’s council meeting.
Knox County Board Chairman Jared Hawkinson told WGIL he expects the board to approve the 35 mph reduction and supports the 25 mph advisory signs, though no vote is needed for the latter. Hawkinson said the changes align with upcoming walking trail construction along South Lake Storey Road, and the board plans to expedite the items.
The report also includes recommendations on other traffic matters:
- Install speed limit signs at the entrances of Park View Road and Dayton Drive (Ward 7) after a resident raised concerns about speeding in the neighborhood. Current speed limit is 30 mph, but no signs exist along the streets. Speed data collected Jan. 21–24, 2026, showed an 85th percentile of 32 mph, with 11.7% of vehicles (45 out of 385) exceeding 30 mph. The committee approved the request to add signage at the entrances.
- Prohibit parking on the west side of South Farnham Street from 862 S. Farnham St. to the Clay Street intersection (Ward 3) to address visibility issues for drivers turning from Clay Street. A resident noted that parked vehicles block sightlines for oncoming traffic. The street is approximately 40 feet wide, serves as a city bus route, and is near school property. The committee recommended the no-parking zone to improve safety.
The Galesburg City Council meets at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16 at Galesburg City Hall. Click here to view the full agenda.
