Supervisors are ready to crack down on heavily loaded trucks tearing up freshly repaired county roads.
Benton Ash, road manager for Tate County, said the significant problem areas are sections of Carlton, Brooks Chapel, JJ Ranch and Veazey Roads which were recently overlayed with asphalt.
“We continue to catch gravel trucks and other box trucks loaded with debris destined for the landfill,” Ash said. “The maintenance on JJ Ranch Road alone cost the county approximately $1.5 million and we have already made base repairs, specifically in the northbound lane.”
Ash’s solution to the problem is to install traffic monitoring cameras at the intersections of JJ Ranch and Veazey Roads, as well as Carlton and Hogfoot Roads to catch offenders ignoring the “No Trucks” signs posted in those areas.
“When these trucks go through those intersections, the cameras will take a photo of the driver, truck and numbers on the side to allow the county to start issuing fines,” Ash explained. “The cameras will be set with height restrictions, so they won’t shoot a picture of all vehicles that travel through those areas.”
Ash said the cost of each camera is around $2,000 but will pay for themselves in the long run.
“If we don’t do something, these trucks will continue to slip through, and our roads will be back in the same shape they were previously in,” he said.
Tate County Administrator Cole Massie said since “No Trucks” signs are in place and the county has a designated truck hauling route set by ordinance, Supervisors needed to consider setting fines for each offense.
“There aren’t supposed to be any heavy trucks on those roads unless they are going to a specific destination on them,” Massie added.
County attorney John Lamar said an ordinance would need to be passed in order to set fines and officially begin filing official charges against offenders. Lamar suggested ordering the cameras, while he works on the new ordinance.
Ash said he is in the process of obtaining more “No Trucks” signs to install in problematic areas before Supervisors unanimously agreed to purchase the cameras.
