when: East Hempfield Supervisors Meeting, October 18.
What happened: A representative from McMahon, a traffic engineering firm in Camp Hill, told supervisors that East Hempfield should prevent large trucks from making two separate turns at Stony Battery Road and Main Street.
more: In addition, the town should keep its restrictions on trucks on Centerville Road but remove the ban on Good Drive, said Chris Bauer, the McMahon employee who presented the recently released truck study in East Hempfield.
Stoney Battery Road: Trucks with at least three axles should not turn left westbound from Stony Battery Road onto Main Street because the turning radius is too wide. The same is true for similar vehicles attempting to turn right north from Main Street onto Stony Battery.
Centerville Road: Previous traffic incidents support the current restrictions on Centerville Road, and they should remain so, the study said, noting that the road has a 10% vertical grade south of the Harrisburg Pike intersection. Bauer also mentioned that the Centerville area is narrow, with lanes measuring 11 feet long.
Good engine: Current restrictions on trucks on this route should be lifted, because the development of the area and traffic patterns have changed.
background: Town Manager Cindy Schweitzer explained that supervisors learned several months ago that police officers were unable to enforce restrictions on trucks on Centerville Road because the posted signs were more than 20 years old, and no one had recently assessed the road. East Hempfield was then commissioned to prepare the report.
Quoted: “It’s going to be difficult for them to stand up in court” over the truck restrictions, Schweitzer said by phone on Oct. 26. “It’s not the right sign per PennDOT,” he said, referring to the state Department of Transportation.
What then: Supervisors will listen to public comments before making decisions on banning the trucks at a later meeting.
Quoted: “We have made this very public,” said President W. Scott Wigglesworth on the truck study. “It was out in the open and much discussed.”
more: The town will provide an alternative truck route for drivers if the restrictions are approved.
Areas studied: Turn geometry, physical road conditions, lane width and shoulder size helped engineers determine where the town should ban large trucks with at least three axles, such as tractor trailers. Box trucks and lawn service trucks will not be affected.
Judicial notice: Any ban would not affect emergency vehicles, garbage trucks, large vehicles making local deliveries or small trucks, Bauer said.
the next: Supervisors will meet at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 at City Hall, 1700 Nissley, Landisville Road. The public can watch the meetings on the township’s YouTube channel by accessing a link on the East Hempfield Township website.
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