Crash Rates Prompt KYTC to Seek Truck Route Removal From National Network

AASHTO Journal, 25 March 2016

Citing safety concerns stemming from a series of truck-related crashes, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said it is preparing to send an emergency petition to the Federal Highway Administration seeking to remove KY 151 (Graefenburg Road) in Anderson County from the National Truck Network.

“Graefenburg Road is simply too narrow to accommodate the increasing amount of commercial vehicle traffic seen daily,” said Acting Secretary Greg Thomas. “By implementing this action, we can reduce the amount of truck traffic, extend the lifespan of pavement and potentially decrease the number of vehicle crashes.”

Kentucky.jpgThe KYTC said its emergency petition would limit commercial trucks from traveling on KY 151, and that an emergency FHWA order would expedite by about a year the normal waiting period to remove the truck route designation.

The corridor has been beset by a series of truck-related accidents. Reports described one last October near Lawrenceburg, in which one truck overturned that was filled with alcohol bound for an area distillery. And that triggered a second set of accidents among vehicles trying to get around the initial wreck.

The KYTC said truckers often use this route as a shortcut from Interstate 64 at exit 48 to connect with US 127 in Lawrenceburg, and that more than 800 commercial vehicles travel the route daily.

It has been on the National Truck Network since the ratification of the Surface Transportation Act of 1982. The state agency said that while KY 151 meets federal requirements for commercial trucks, a recent series of commercial vehicle crashes raised concerns about the appropriateness of that designation.

“The most prevalent type of crash involves trucks veering off the roadway, which seems to imply that the roadway and shoulders are too narrow or the truck is too large,” the KYTC announcement said.

If the plan is approved by the FHWA, the state agency would encourage truck traffic to come off I-64 at exit 53A to US 127 south. It said this would not affect truck access to local industry “due to statutory provisions allowing reasonable access, which includes delivery terminals and service facilities.”

Meanwhile, it plans to continue monitoring the route to determine if further action is warranted.

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