City to consider banning semis from neighborhood

Published 7:42 pm Monday, August 16, 2010

Suffolk City Council is set to consider an ordinance Wednesday to prohibit truck traffic in the Governor’s Pointe neighborhood.

According to a traffic study completed by the city, truck drivers are using the residential neighborhood as a cut-through between Bridge and Crittenden roads. Residents of the neighborhood asked that the roadway to be restricted to trucks, according to the traffic study.

“I can imagine that the people in the neighborhood aren’t too fond of it,” said Ruth DiGeorge, owner of A Tisket, A Tasket. Her shop and several others are located near the intersection of Bridge Road and Governors Pointe Drive.

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The study surmised that truck drivers are cutting through the neighborhood to avoid the spot where Bridge and Crittenden meet, because that intersection has a major dip in the middle of the road.

“Cutting through the Governors Pointe neighborhood affords drivers no savings in travel time or distance,” the study said. “It is anticipated that trucks … are attempting to avoid the signalized intersection of Bridge Road and Crittenden Road due to the significant cross slopes within the intersection which result from being located within a banked curve.”

DiGeorge said she is glad to see the measure being considered.

“I would definitely support restricting it, because there’s a lot of kids in this neighborhood,” she said.

The traffic study pointed out other reasons for the switch.

“Continued use of the residential streets within the Governors Pointe neighborhood by large commercial vehicles may result in premature street maintenance issues, an increased potential for crashes with vehicles, parked vehicles and pedestrians, and undue noise and vibration in homes and the neighborhood in general.”

Signs would be placed at the intersection of Governors Pointe Drive and Bridge Road, and at the intersection of Botetourt Lane and Crittenden Road.