Big rig woes solved?

Official hopes change in Deltaville road status will keep tractor trailers from getting stuck in mud

by Larry Chowning – 

After a recent study by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) officials, VDOT determined Horseshoe Bend and Captain Reef roads in Deltaville are eligible to be considered for either a “restricted through-truck road” or as a “no vehicle longer than 39-feet in length road” status.

Pinetop District Supervisor Lud Kimbrough said on Monday he is going to recommend to the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors at its July 7 meeting that the roads be designated “no vehicles longer than 39-feet in length” status, because VDOT’s application process for that particular status takes only 45 days.

If the board considers a “restricted through-truck road” status the application process takes from six to nine months.

“With the road restriction at 39-feet, school buses can travel on the roads and we do not have to wait six to nine months to go through the application process to have the signage put up on the roads,” said Kimbrough.

“Large trucks are having trouble making turns at the end of Horseshoe Bend (on Captain Reed Road) and are ending up in the ditch,” he said. “We need signage so when truck drivers pass Timberneck, they do not turn onto Horseshoe Bend.”

On Monday, Kimbrough said that last Wednesday (June 17) a tractor-trailer went into a ditch on Captain Reef Road and a tow truck had to be called. “This is an ongoing problem for homeowners living on the roads,” he said.

The issue will be discussed at the supervisors’ July 7 board meeting at a Zoom virtual meeting. Citizens wanting to comment during the public comment period or attend the meeting call 804-758-4330 and ask for Susan Traner or Betty Muncy or email s.traner@co.middlesex.va.us …