Routine semi-truck accidents and resident complaints prompted truck traffic restrictions on portions of three county roads near Greenwood.
The Johnson County Board of Commissioners this week unanimously approved an ordinance aimed at reducing the number of semi-truck accidents on rural roads, which would save the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office time responding to the accidents and cost taxpayers less money to repair damaged roads.
Truck drivers seeking shortcuts between Interstate 65 in Greenwood and Interstate 74 in Shelby County have increasingly found themselves in a bind at several sharp turns their trucks can’t make, said Luke Mastin, county highway director. The trucks end up on the side of the road, often damaging pavement or utility poles, and requiring assistance to get unstuck and back on their way, he said.
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Semi-truck traffic will now be restricted on county roads north and south of Worthsville Road, east of I-65. Traffic will be restricted on County Road 700 North/Clark School Road between County Road 300 East/Five Points Road and County Road 400 East/Hurricane Road; County Road 800 North/Billingsley Road between County Road 325 East/Griffith Road and County Road 440 East/Franklin Road; and County Road 325 East/Griffith Road.
Large trucks will only be allowed if drivers are making local deliveries or hauling crops for area farmers.
The ordinance took effect Monday and will be enforced once signs are installed. A violation of the ordinance is a Class C infraction and carries a $500 penalty.
It will cost the county about $1,000 to implement the new restrictions, reflecting the estimated cost to purchase the signs, Mastin said.
Truck drivers will be warned before they enter a restricted area. The county collaborated with the City of Greenwood and Shelby County, and signs will be placed on roads near the newly restricted routes indicating that a restricted road is ahead, Mastin said. Similar to Franklin’s warning signs that indicate truck restrictions in the downtown area, the signs will alert drivers of how many miles remain before they reach the restricted area and feature an image of a truck with a red line through it.
The Johnson County Highway Department asked commissioners to take this step because unincorporated Johnson County has seen more and more truck accidents as Greenwood industrial parks east of the highway continue to pop up.
Until a few years ago, semi-truck accidents were not common southeast of Greenwood, but really seemed to pick up this year, said Steve Dougherty who lives on Griffith Road near the Main Street interchange at I-65. With the increase in accidents, which happen at least once every few weeks, Dougherty was glad to see the county take this step, he said.
“(We see) more and more because we have Amazon and all of these other warehouses,” Dougherty said. “They’re trying to get to Shelbyville. Now they can’t use Worthsville Road because of the construction. Once it is complete to Franklin Road that will help a lot.”
Other roads may need to be restricted as Greenwood continues to develop the area, county officials said. The county has also received requests to restrict traffic on Main Street and on Rocklane Road, Mastin said.
The county’s move comes after the City of Greenwood also restricted truck traffic on County Road 75 East to reroute truck traffic away from nearby neighborhoods that were reporting similar problems.
The city had asked the county to restrict truck traffic last year, but Mastin was not ready to take that step at the time. He wanted to look at other options before restricting traffic, he said.
One idea Mastin pursued was working with a GPS company to warn truck drivers that the roads are not safe for them. However, he found out there wasn’t a willingness or way to make that happen, he said.
Mike Campbell, a Greenwood City Council member, was glad to hear the county was restricting truck traffic, as residents who live on Greenwood-maintained portions of Griffith Road have complained about it for some time. Campbell said the city will likely extend its restricted area to include more of the road.
The city is also considering truck restrictions on Allen Road, Campbell said.
Adding the restrictions is a step to bring relief from truck traffic issues until the final leg of the Worthsville Road extension is completed, Mastin said. Part of that extension, from Griffith Road to Franklin Road, is expected to be completed by the end of the year, he said.
Expanding the rest of the road, a major east-west corridor, the remaining four miles to Shelby County will cost $15 to $20 million, and will require grants and financing to accomplish, Mastin said. Completion of the project might still be several years away, he said.
