Stafford County, Va. –– The future of a series of rural roads is being debated after a Stafford County leader moved to restrict their through-truck traffic.
Hartwood District Supervisor Gary Snellings has proposed banning through trucks from using Truslow Road between Enon and Berea Church roads, and on Enon Road between U.S. 1 and Truslow Road.
County officials say large trucks are using the roads as a cut through route to avoid using the more heavily traveled U.S. 1 and Interstate 95. The trucks have residents who live in large homes along the routes rattled, their fears prompting the proposed ban.
“Those roads were roads were designed prior to the Civil War, and the engineer was snake with a broken back,” said Snellings.
But restricting truck traffic would place a hardship on trucking businesses which, without the cut through route, would put more trucks needing access to U.S. 17 in south Stafford on I-95 in congested traffic for longer periods of time, all burning more fuel, truckers said.
“This is an attempt to treat a symptom, not the disease. The problem with is the exit off of [U.S.] 17 onto [I]-95. Monday night through Friday night you’re just spending multitudes of time on that road, and it just pushed trucks on to Truslow,” said Mike Heflin, a business owner on U.S. 17.
Stafford officials mapped out an alternative route for trucks to travel, urging drivers to use U.S. 17 to I-95, exit at Centreport Parkway, travel to U.S. 1 and then onto Enon Road.
Snellings said his main reason for asking to limit truck traffic is Gayle Middle and Stafford Senior High schools which sit along the aforementioned roads. Snellings said the schools generate so much traffic, trucks only compound the problem.
The Board deferred a vote to restrict traffic until the next regularly scheduled meeting to study alternatives to the plan.
