MILTON, Del. -- The Milton Mayor and Town Council are working with the Delaware Department of Transportation to restrict truck traffic through the town following noise and motion complaints from several residents.
Lisa Falzarano, owner of The Mercantile at Milton, says sometimes the big rigs cause items in her store to fall off the shelf.
"I'm sure that they're just trying to get from point A to point B as fast as they possibly can, and they're disregarding the signage," says Falzarano. "What tends to happen is the building and roadway shakes."
Signs redirecting trucks to alternate routes are posted across town. On Monday, a DelDOT representative is scheduled to present a proposal to town leaders to potentially replace, remove, or reorder the current signage and install new signs with clearer instructions for truck drivers.
Milton Mayor John Collier says he is looking forward to hearing more.
"We do not have the right to prohibit trucks," says Collier. "We're trying to restrict certain volumes of truck traffic. With some of the construction that's going on in the region, they're looking at this as a bypass to avoid that construction."
Collier says officials are also considering a proposed ordinance to help them enforce the restrictions. It says it says trucks over 5,000 pounds with two axels or more, except local deliveries, are prohibited from using these roadways:
- DE 5 between DE 16 and DE 5A
- Chestnut St between Front St and DE 5
- Lavinia St between Mulberry St and Sand Hill Rd
- Mulberry St between DE 16 and DE 5
- Front St between DE 5 and Atlantic St / Cave Neck Rd
- Atlantic St between DE 5 and Off-Centered Way
Some truck drivers, however, say the changes would jeopardize their work.
"They want everything built, and it's got to get there somehow," says Mark Hartnett. "It doesn't just fly there by itself. Trucks need to bring it. They want production, but they don't want noise. You got to give to get."
The Milton Mayor and Town Council are scheduled to meet on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Milton Library.