Truck traffic restricted on portion of Old Union Road in Charles City
Concerns from residents in the western part of Charles City concerning truck traffic led to a public hearing at Tuesday night’s board of supervisors meeting. The result led to through trucks being restricted on Old Union Road.
The proposal called for truck traffic to continue on Charles City Road (Route 600) to get on Route 106 (Roxbury Road) instead of using Old Union Road that connects Charles City Road and Roxbury Road. The restricted route focuses on curtailing traffic for drivers to get to Darbytown Road in Henrico via Charles City Road instead of using Union Road as a connector.
Residents who live on the western section of Old Union Road and on Charles City Road spoke about their concerns about the traffic and conditions of the road. Many of the residents were divisive when it came to what to do with truck traffic on the two respective roads.
“Old Union Road is beaten up, but it is wide enough to have lines on it by state standards,” said David Ware. “Charles City Road is narrower.
“It’s a safety issue,” he continued. “If they are going to travel on [Charles City] road, he’s going to travel in the middle of the road.”
“My opinion is not having Charles City Road being an alternative road,” Arthur Glenn said. “Old Union Road has marked lanes.
“There is a 90-degree turn right before getting to Route 106 and there is a guardrail there,” he continued. “That is a blind turn. I can imagine what type of hazard that will create when those trucks turn onto Charles City Road.”
Preston Adkins, an avid truck driver, says there are alternates to address the situation.
“The best thing to address this issue is to put signs up and have them say that traffic is not suitable for truck traffic,” he said. “Tell them that GPS is not suitable and put those signs up and have it strictly enforced.”
Other residents lobbied for supervisors to have trucks use Route 106 and travel it to Route 5 (John Tyler Memorial Highway) and Route 60 (Pocahontas Trail) to deliver into adjacent Henrico County.
“If Route 600 and Route 603 wasn’t there, they’d take the road to Route 60,” said Alton Washington. “It’s not about the payload. It’s about safety.
“My solution is to widen Route 603, then the traffic can flow through,” he continued. “The road can be safer, and the traffic can be monitored.”
“Why do we have to make routes for drivers?” asked Traci Turpin. “Why do we have to make it a convenience for them?
“I lost my son on Charles City Road,” she continued. “I don’t even know why we need to dish money out to maintain the roads when they can go down Route 106 or Route 60 and make it easier on them.”
District 1 supervisor Gilbert Smith, who oversees the district where the road is, said he understands the concern.
“I agree that safety is a concern, but in my personal opinion is that Old Union Road won’t be upgraded for several years,” Smith commented. “If we don’t do anything now, then I don’t think nothing is going to happen within the next 10 years.”
Smith motioned to restrict through truck traffic on Old Union Road, with supervisors passing the resolution unanimously. After the vote, Smith advised residents of Charles City Road why the decision was made.
“Just like the residents of Old Union Road did, you have to go through the process,” he said. “I understand your concerns and advise you to contact our county administrator to assist you with it.”