New no-truck list approved

Jay County Commissioners adopted a revised list of no-truck routes Monday as recommended by county engineer Dan Watson, adding some and subtracting a few others.

The new list will be incorporated into an amended version of the county’s code, and that new version will include legal language to clarify what types of trucks are affected.

“There’s not a lot of changes,” Watson said when presenting his recommendations. Most of the stretches of county road that will be posted “no trucks” are already included in the existing county ordinance.

The new list will include:

•Como Road between Indiana 26 and Indiana 67.

•County road 100 North between U.S. 27 and county road 200 West.

•County road 200 South between U.S. 27 and Indiana 67.

•County road 200 West between county road 300 North and Indiana 67.

•County road 250 West between county roads 900 South and 800 South.

•County road 300 East between Indiana 26 and Division Road.

•County road 400 South between Indiana 1 and Indiana 67.

•County road 400 South between Como Road and U.S. 27.

•County road 500 North between county roads 750 West and 650 West.

•County road 750 West between county roads 300 North and 400 North.

•County road 750 West between county roads 450 North and 400 North.

•County road 750 West between Indiana 18 and county road 550 North.

•Division Road between the eastern edge of Portland and county road 300 East.

•County road 1150 West between county road 500 South and the Dunkirk City Limits.

•County road 500 South between county roads 1150 West and 1225 West.

Those last two are additions to the list. 

Deleted at Watson’s recommendation were Como Road between 550 South and 400 South, county road 100 North between U.S. 27 and county road 300 East and county road 300 West from Indiana 26 to county road 75 South.

“If (heavy trucks) can get to the highway, take a highway,” said Watson. “These roads are not designed for continued truck traffic.”

The no-truck designation does not affect pick-ups, school buses, delivery vehicles and trucks owned and operated by people owning property along those routes.

“What are you classifying as a truck?” asked commissioner Mike Leonhard. “I don’t want to hamper farmers getting their grain to market.”

County attorney Bill Hinkle said that when revised county code will probably use a weight limit to determine which trucks are prohibited and which ones are allowed.

“Ninety percent of the time it’s going to be a judgment call on weight,” said Watson.

Not on Watson’s list was county road 800 East, and Cindy Bracy, a resident of that road, returned to commissioners Monday to urge that it be designated no-trucks as well. 

“That road is inherently more dangerous,” she said. “The risk to residents and to those truck drivers is significant.”

The Jay County Sheriff’s Office has been asked to compile data listing accidents on county road 800 East, but many of the incidents along that route involving trucks that have gone off the road never result in an official accident report.

“This is a statewide problem,” said Bracy. “Is anybody working proactively with the state to find solutions?"

“We’ve exhausted all our resources at the local level,” responded Watson.

On other traffic-related issues, Watson noted that the first day of detours related to state bridge work near Bloomfield on U.S. 27 had created headaches.

“This morning has been a nightmare,” he said.

Pressed by county officials and state legislators, the Indiana Department of Transportation has reduced the estimated road closure for the project from 60 days to 30 days.

Meanwhile, work on two other U.S. 27 bridges — one on the south side of Geneva and another between Berne and Decatur — has added to the delays and confusion for motorists.

Watson said paving should begin on Boundary Pike and county road 500 West by the end of April and he hopes to advertise for a May 13 bid opening for repaving of Mount Pleasant Road from county road 200 South to Como Road.

In other business, commissioners:

•Asked courthouse building superintendent to gather multiple quotes for a small storage building to be placed on the parking lot north of the courthouse on Walnut Street. For fire safety reasons, the building is needed for the storage of equipment such as lawnmowers and snowblowers that have gasoline tanks.

•Heard former commissioner Barry Hudson urge that the city-county committee working on flood control have a meeting to discuss recent proposals by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A draft of one proposal would have a major impact on Jay County Fairgrounds. “We don’t have meetings,” Hudson complained, noting that Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman is chairman of the committee.

•Approved hiring Wiley Well Drilling to drill a new well at Jay County Retirement Center at a cost not to exceed $9,540. One of the wells at the retirement center has been taken out of service due to traces of arsenic found in the water. Money for the new well will come from the county’s infrastructure fund.

•Learned there was “a possible release” from an underground diesel fuel tank at the county highway garage. Superintendent Ken Wellman said tests will be done shortly. “We don’t believe there’s anything wrong with the tank,” he said.

•Directed Gary Barnett of Jay Emergency Medical Service to gather quotes on the cost of remounting an ambulance on a new chassis in an effort to keep the JEMS fleet up to date.