Truck traffic is temporarily restricted until mid-September on three county roads in eastern Needham Township.
The Johnson County Board of Commissioners on Monday OK’d an ordinance that bans semi-truck traffic on County Road 800 East between State Road 44 and Range Road, County Road 350 North between County Road 700 East and the Shelby County Line, and County Road 700 East between County Road 350 North and County Road 100 North.
The restriction does not apply to buses less than 45 feet long, any vehicle involved in construction or maintenance of county roads, or trucks making local pick-ups, deliveries or service calls.
The Johnson County Highway Department will put up signs at the start of the restricted area as well as warning signs leading to the area. The bans will take effect once the signs are up.
The ban will continue until sunset Sept. 17, after construction is set to wrap up on State Road 44. An Indiana Department of Transportation contractor is working on the State Road 44 bridge over the Sugar Creek Overflow between County Road 700 East and Sugar Creek Road in Franklin.
The bridge closed last week and is expected to be closed for 60 days, according to an INDOT news release.
The official detour route follows Interstates 65, 465 and 74, but drivers headed toward Franklin are tempted to try county roads instead.
The ban is in place due to curves on the roads that are too sharp for semis to handle, said Luke Mastin, county highway director.
There is also a culvert with a 10-ton weight limit on County Road 700 East, he said.
The State Road 44 project is part of a $6 million asphalt resurfacing and roadway reconstruction contract that will repave State Road 44 between Franklin and Shelbyville. Roadway reconstruction at the I-65 interchange and the recently installed traffic signals are also part of the project.
