A Richmond-area city has voted to ban tractor trailers from using a county road as a way to avoid rush hour traffic.
The New Kent, Virginia Board of Supervisors voted to place restrictions on trucks using Stage Road between Route 33 and New Kent Highway on September 7th, citing road damage and sharp turns as the reasons behind the ban.
“We are noticing a significant increase in tractor-trailer traffic, especially during the summer months when we see increased congestion on Interstate 64,” County Administrator Rodney Hathaway said to Tidewater Review.
“It appears that the GPS units are now directing vehicles off of 64 and using Stage Road as a shortcut to get to New Kent Highway and head west and vice versa. [Stage Road] has sharp turns and the road is just not equipped to handle that amount of weight. There are areas in the road where you will see unevenness and bulging which we believe is due to the weight.”
The board voted unanimously to submit a request to the Virginia Department of Transportation to put up “no through truck” signs on Stage Road (Route 627) between Eltham Road and New Kent Highway. Once the county and VDOT work through the details, drivers who violate the new ban could face the potential for citations.
“There’s a lot of rerouting that needs to be done in the county. Stage Road is a perfect example,” said Supervisor John Lockwood. The board is looking into reporting the ban to GPS navigation companies, which have been suggesting the road as a detour for truckers looking to avoid I-64 traffic.