Council approves a 90‑day Shell Road pilot of temporary closures and stepped enforcement to reduce cut‑through traffic

City staff recommended a neighborhood pilot to curb speeding and commercial cut‑through traffic on Shell Road and Greenbrier Avenue, and council agreed to test temporary closures and stepped enforcement for an evaluation period. Public Works and Community Development Director Jason Mitchell briefed the council on alternatives — from $10,000 rumble strips to a $350,000 traffic circle requiring acquisitions — and on enforcement actions already in place.

Mitchell summarized the staff recommendation: "Our recommendations at this point would be to request the Hampton Police Department traffic enforcement, temporarily close Shell Road at Childs Avenue and the adjoining streets, as these adjustments will reduce traffic, and improve safety over the next 90 days." He also provided empirical context: an April traffic count showed about 4,000 vehicles per day on Shell Road, and a late‑September count after new stop signs showed roughly 3,000 vehicles per day, with average speeds up slightly.

Councilmembers debated tradeoffs. Some members said temporary road closures can be effective but will inconvenience residents and service vehicles; others noted the benefit of a pilot so neighbors can judge real‑world effects. After discussion the council agreed to implement a temporary pilot (staff suggested 30/60/90 day iterations but the council settled on a 90‑day pilot), equip the corridor with traffic counters, increase police enforcement of commercial vehicle and speeding violations and hold a neighborhood meeting and survey at the end of the period to determine whether to make changes permanent.

Staff estimated the temporary pilot cost at approximately $10,000 for barricades and signage and said further funding requests would follow if the pilot points to a permanent closure or capital investments (traffic circle, signals) in the future.