Highway 160 Promise had a booth at the annual Warrior Day celebration dedicated to people killed in wrecks on Highway 160. Founder Amy Camp is working with the families of those killed and public officials to make the state highway safer for everyone.
Last month the death of Hayden mother Kimmi Colley spurred the group to set up a motorcade in her honor. Members want to see the safety improvements that were promised back in 2006 and Blount County District Attorney Tommy Rountree says they finally got the state's attention.
"But since Amy and her crowd have been involved with Highway 160 promise, we've seen several things not the least of which is eight I believe radar flashing speed signs in strategic places along the road," said Tommy Rountree, District Attorney of Blount County.
He says Blount County Sheriff Deputies have been trained in the State troopers have also stepped up speed limit enforcement efforts on the state highway.
"The third week in October they wrote 54 speeding tickets 16 warning tickets and several other types of tickets. So I think that's a very sobering thought that we are speeding on the highway even though we as a community know it's a dangerous highway."
Founder Amy camp says those signs are an improvement, but she doesn't think they go far enough to protect drivers. She says Highway 160 has had at least 80 accidents this year alone and 15 fatalities over the last 10 years.
Right now there are no plans to put in the stop lights Amy Camp would like to see, but she says the process to widen highway 160 appears to be moving forward.
"We're hearing that right of way purchase may begin in the next 18-24 months," said Amy Camp. "We're going to do what we can to contribute to making that a quicker process."
Savannah Colley says she will keep working to make the road safer because it's what her mother would have wanted.
"We'll try our best to make it happen," said Savannah Colley.
Amy Camp says there is another Highway 160 Promise memorial motorcade planned for Sunday November 29th. It will honor the three cheerleaders that were killed in a wreck in Nectar in 2007.
