110 W. New York Ave., DeLand, FL
386-734-4622
BEACON PHOTO/SARAHROSE MINISTERI
posted Jul 26, 2010 - 10:00:28am
For the second time in about 10 years, the Florida Department of Transportation has denied the City of DeLand’s request to limit large trucks in the Downtown area.
The city had inquired about banning through travel by big trucks on U.S. Highway 17-92, also known as Woodland Boulevard.
In a July 2 letter, Department of Transportation (DOT) operations engineer Richard B. Morrow wrote that “it would not be appropriate for us to restrict through trucks from this roadway unless a specific safety issue arose.”
Morrow said DOT reviewed crash data and found that big trucks traveling through Downtown DeLand are involved in crashes less frequently, per capita, than are regular vehicles.
Because of complaints from Downtown merchants and patrons about the noise from big trucks rumbling through the central business district, the DeLand City Commission and the city staff have been studying ways to route truck traffic around Downtown.
Morrow noted the DOT has been a partner in this effort.
“We will continue to support this partnership by providing and maintaining signing for the truck bypass along SR 15A; however, we cannot justify restricting trucks from U.S. 17/92 at this time,” Morrow wrote.
He reminded city officials that U.S. Highway 17-92 was funded and is maintained by the state as an arterial road, built to carry traffic not just in DeLand, but through the area.
Reader Comments
The comments posted below are posted by readers, not by The Beacon staff. These comments express the views and opinions of the authors, and not the administrators, moderators or webmaster. The comments forum is governed by these rules. Please use the report abuse link if you find offensive comments.
What a dumb ***. It's the noise and smell from the trucks that are the main problem, I think.
I'll have coffee with some dump truck noise and truck exhaust....
Let the truck run at night when the bars are closing and the preachers are out.... NOW THAT'S A SAFETY ISSUE.....
Comment on this article
Commenting is closed for this article.
If you would like to contribute a letter to the editor, please click here.
Did you find this story interesting or informative? Subscribe to The DeLand-Deltona Beacon to read more stories by Barb Shepherd, along with others from our award-winning writers. Subscribe now!
Photos - Real Estate - Newcomer's Guide - Beacon Magazines - Advertise - Local Web Sites - About Us - Beacon Archives