GA DOT officials want big rigs out of downtown (Palmetto: condos, hotel)

[nortonguy]

Local traffic officials would like to see fewer big trucks in downtown Augusta. Shifting a major truck route from Reynolds Street to the new Palmetto Parkway could do it. But it won't be easy.

Officials want vehicles the size of dump trucks and larger to stop going from Bobby Jones Expressway to Interstate 20 via Sandbar Ferry Road, Reynolds Street and River Watch Parkway, said Dennis Ellis, a traffic engineering technician for Augusta.

That route takes them through the narrow streets of Augusta's historic Olde Town neighborhood and past the Augusta Common, which has led to numerous angry calls from pedestrians and residents of the Port Royal condos over the years, Ellis said. "They complain all the time about needing to get tractor-trailers off of Reynolds," he said. "And it's fully understandable."

However, forcing trucks to use the new Palmetto Parkway expansion of Interstate 520 -- which connects directly to I-20 in South Carolina -- would take an appeal to the Georgia Department of Transportation by the Augusta Commission, said Steve Cassell, a traffic engineer. He said the idea would need more study before anything is proposed to the DOT. "We would have to look at the impact of shifting them off Reynolds and where they would go," he said.

Pedestrian traffic along Reynolds is expected to increase with the construction of the 139-room Hyatt Hotel and the trade, exhibit and event center at Reynolds Street and James Brown Boulevard. Ellis said the rerouting idea is in keeping with a plan to make Reynolds Street more of a parkway and friendly for walkers.

Officials want big rigs out of downtown Augusta 012310 - The Augusta Chronicle

[EastsideDave]

I'm surprised the city doesn't already have a designated truck route...if I recall correctly the new part of I-520 in North Augusta is supposed to keep the big trucks off of US-25/Knox. Ave, but it hasn't had much effect so far; if they do this in Augusta, they'll have to start ticketing to get the drivers to change their ways.

The area of downtown within East Boundary to the east, Walton Way to the south, 15th St to the west and the River to the north should be off limits to vehicles over 4-6 wheels except if for construction or deliveries. They can just designate 520 as a truck route and put 'No Thru Trucks' signs on Reynolds, Broad, Ellis, Greene, etc.

But even if they did that, it will still be rather hard to keep some of these trucks out of downtown since someone had the great idea to allow a cement plant to build on 13th street, I don't know who's bright idea that was but it was probably in the hands of the same leaders that at one time wanted to tear down Sacred Heart to build a parking garage.

Something the city should really be working on finding a solution to is removing those railroad tracks from downtown, just think of how attractive all that open land on Fenwick St. would be with the tracks removed, the land has access to the canal and is located right by the JBA and the new Judicial Center. Right now it's all just dirt. Nice smooth new roads with no railroad tracks could be just the thing to get downtown out of the past and on the fast-track to huge development, right now the tracks kind of act as constrictors b/c they aren't attractive in the eyes of developers.