Sheriff: Semis Paying Fines For Taking County Roads During SR 1 Closure

Tuesday, June 4, 2019 at 11:30 AM

By Kacie Jackson

Since the road closure on April 1, side roads such as Sawdon Ridge Road and York Ridge Road have seen an increase in semi trucks.

File Photo

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Semi-truck drivers are facing hefty fines for ignoring posted signs when it comes to taking side roads while State Road 1 is closed.

Dearborn County Commissioners voted in April to pass an ordinance banning semi trucks on county roads as needed. Since the state highway closure on April 1 side roads such as Sawdon Ridge Road and York Ridge Road have seen an increase in semi trucks. County engineer Todd Listerman requested to have signs posted prohibiting trucks on those roads.

At Tuesday morning's commissioners meeting, Dearborn County Sheriff Shane McHenry gave an update as to how his department was enforcing the county road restriction against offending semi drivers.

RELATED: After EC Student's Death, Petition Urges INDOT To Make SR 1 Safer

During the month of April, there were 191 calls to the station from residents with calls about safety concerns, with 30 of those calls resulting in a warning or citations to a semi driver. The month of May there were 178 calls with 27 of those resulting in citations to semi drivers.

“We are doing the best that we can to get officers there, but we can’t be there all the time,” said McHenry

A spokesperson for Indiana Department of Transportation's Southeast region said Tuesday that State Road 1 is expected to reopen July 1. A slide correction project has had the highway closed since April 1.

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