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Some residents of College Street have been reporting seeing 18-wheelers and other large trucks drive down the street despite signs saying trucks aren’t allowed except for local deliveries.
Large commercial trucks that require special licensing, such as semi-trucks and tractor-trailers, aren’t allowed to drive down College Street, City Engineer Kevin Stafford confirmed in a text to The Dispatch.
So, why are they? What is causing this sudden influx of trucks?
Can trucks drive down College Street?
Trucks typically are not allowed to drive down College Street unless they are making a local delivery. However, due to a road closure on 15th Street South shutting down a truck route, trucks are currently permitted to use College Street as a detour, Stafford said.
Fifteenth Street South is closed while stormwater drainage pipes are replaced as part of a larger watershed project aimed at improving drainage in major flooding areas across the city. The $6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding the city received for the project must be spent by September.
The work is being overseen by Waggoner Engineering and completed by Cullum Construction.
Josh Sansing, project manager for Waggoner, said he believes the work has been going on for two weeks and should finish up this week.
Where are the trucks coming from?
Stafford believes the majority of the trucks are coming from APAC’s asphalt mixing plant just south of the city on Lake Norris Road, as the company’s typical trucking route is impacted by the 15th Street South closure.
Trucks leaving the APAC plant just south of Columbus typically take a route leading north onto 15th Street South, west onto College Street and then north onto 14th Street South and out onto Main Street. Small signs along the way, which Stafford said the city is looking to update, label this route as a “temporary truck route.”
Sansing said he doesn’t think an alternative route was worked out with APAC when 15th Street South was closed, as APAC drivers have their own routes.
Blayne Glenn, APAC plant operator, said he isn’t sure what route trucks take after they leave the plant.
Stafford said he has been told trucks are taking an alternative route from the APAC plant during the closure that brings them up through 11th Street South alongside Mississippi University for Women campus. From 11th Street South, some trucks are going straight up to Main Street while others are turning either left or right on to College Street.
Stafford said trucks may be choosing to make the turn onto College Street for a few different reasons depending on how comfortable the trucker is and where the truck is going. He believes some of the trucks traveling east down College Street may be either trying to return to the original route or bring asphalt to road repair work being done on Highway 50 by the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
Are trucks driving down College bad for the street?
No. Stafford said the streets are thick enough to hold the weight of the trucks.
The reason trucks aren’t allowed to drive down College Street is because it’s one of the two areas downtown the city regulates to keep through-trucks out of due to the smaller grid block streets as it makes it hard for trucks to turn, Stafford said.
While he can’t speak to the current strength of all the roads, Stafford said he does not believe the added truck weight will be an issue during the temporary detour.
Once 15th Street South is open again, the trucks should return to their normal route, he said.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
