STANLEY (AP) - Mountrail County officials want to lower the speed limit from 65 mph to 55 mph on North Dakota Highways 23 and 8 in the Parshall, New Town and Stanley areas, citing recent road deaths and heavy truck traffic.

County commissioners sent a letter sent to the North Dakota Transportation Department earlier this month.

At least two people have died in crashes in the area since Aug. 1. In one crash on Highway 23, a pickup was struck by a passing truck.

Mountrail County Sheriff Ken Halvorson said the speed limit on many county roads around oil fields has been reduced to 35 mph or 45 mph. He said some township boards also have reduced speeds on township roads.

"Definitely, we need to lower the speed limit on 8 and 23. We definitely need the intersection at the junction of 8 and 23 marked with a light, we definitely need the shoulders widened on No. 8, and we definitely need a double solid yellow line from the 8 and 23 intersection to New Town," Halvorson said.

Highway 8 from U.S. 2 at Stanley to the junction of Highway 23 is dangerous, especially for trucks, because of its steep shoulders, Halvorson said. A number of tankers have rolled over on the road, he said.