Franklin County, News, RSS Facebook, RSS General, RSS Twitter, Russellville
 By  Kellie Singleton Published 
1:48 pm Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Commercial truck ordinance approved

At Monday’s meeting, the Russellville City Council approved a commercial truck ordinance that regulates commercial truck traffic within the city limits of Russellville.

According to councilman David Palmer, he and city attorney Danny McDowell have been working on the ordinance for months in an attempt to make the city’s roadways safer and more efficient.

“There was nothing on the books to regulate this kind of traffic in the city of Russellville so we wanted to create an ordinance that is fair to the businesses and the folks that do business in and around the city while creating a good relationship between those people and the citizens who live here,” Palmer said.

“We want our residents to feel safe in their subdivisions and neighborhoods that are zoned as residential areas, and many of them don’t feel that way with large trucks constantly driving by their homes.

“We also have to consider that some of these city roads weren’t meant to have large trucks driving on them and it could cause issues for the city in the future.”

The ordinance, which passed by a unanimous vote, will regulate commercial truck traffic in residential areas zoned R-1, R-2, R-3 and MH-1. No business, industrial or agricultural zones will be affected.

“We looked at many ordinances over the state of Alabama for references when creating this ordinance,” city attorney Danny McDowell said.

“It basically says that, with the exception of certain designated truck routes in the city limits, there will be no thru-traffic from commercial trucks on city streets.”

The designated truck routes that will be exempt from the ordinance include:

• Walnut Gate Road from U.S. 43 to Alabama 243

• Lawrence Street East from U.S. 43 to Alabama 24

• Franklin 48 from the city limit line to U.S. 43

• Courtland Road NE from U.S. 43 to Norton Avenue North

• Madison Street from Norton Avenue North to Lauderdale Street NW

• Waterloo Road from Lauderdale Street NW to the city limit line

• Old Water Plant Road from the city limit line to Walnut Gate Road

• LaGrange Road East from U.S. 43 to city limit line

McDowell said other exceptions to the ordinance include: a delivery being made to a residence or business in the city; trucks that are delivering supplies to someone building or remodeling a new home; truck drivers who are driving to and from their own homes; and motorhomes for personal use.

It also listed emergency, military and government vehicles as being exempt.

“If the street department needs to go somewhere to do work in one of their large trucks with a loader on it, they will still be able to do that,” McDowell said.

“This just keeps trucks from indiscriminately riding on the streets of Russellville, which weren’t built for that kind of a heavy load anyway.”

The ordinance includes a variance where a commercial truck company or driver can apply for a permit to operate a restricted vehicle where prohibited if they come before the city council to make the request and it is approved.

There is also a provision where the street to be used will be assessed before and after the commercial truck use and the truck company could be responsible for any damages noted.

The ordinance states that anyone in violation of this ordinance would receive a fine of up to $500.

“The intent of this ordinance is not to inhibit or stifle economic development,” Palmer said.

“Our lifeblood is our industries that are here now and that will be here in the future. But they need to be somewhat socially responsible, and we think this ordinance will protect their interests and the interests of the citizens of Russellville.”

In other business, the city council addressed the following issues:

• Approved the culvert extension on Underwood Road and authorized the lump sum payment of $25,750.

• Approved the resurfacing and stripping of Dillard Hollow Road from Lawrence Street to Limestone Street NW not to exceed $25,000.

• Ratified the contract between the city and Michael Smith.

• Approved two Russellville Gas Board appointments: Robert “Buddy” Perdue from District 2 and Ronnie McCulloch from District 5.

• Declared a vacancy for a lieutenant in the Russellville Fire Department and authorized to advertise for promotion from within the civil service.

Also on Franklin County Times
$4M paving project nears completion
Main, News, Russellville, ...
Russ Corey For the FCT 
October 1, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE — The city is in the process of completing what is likely its largest ever street paving project. District 1 City Councilman David Palmer...
Barnes kicks off bid for Congress
Main, News
Russ Corey For the FCT 
October 1, 2025
SHEFFIELD — Colbert County Commissioner Tommy Barnes is ready to travel the Fourth Congressional District in hopes of convincing voters he’s the perso...
Cancer survivor Vaughn: Celebrate every day!
Main, News, Z - News Main
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
October 1, 2025
Elaine Vaughn’s breast cancer journey began 11 years ago. Her longtime OB-GYN had retired, so she had put off her yearly exam and mammogram for a coup...
Mansell rescinds retirement request
Main, News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
October 1, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE — Fire Chief Joe Mansell will remain at the helm of the Russellville Fire Department. Mansell, who has led the department since 2002, was...
Study links well-being of teachers with AI use
Columnists, Opinion
October 1, 2025
As a new school year begins, the attention of parents, policymakers, and the public rightly turns to students. But if we are serious about improving s...
Hubbard reflects as she retires from courthouse
News, Red Bay
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
October 1, 2025
RED BAY — Lifelong Red Bay resident Sherri Hubbard has spent the past 24 years serving Franklin County as a courthouse deputy. Before joining the cour...
Holt named the acting director of NACOLG
News
Russ Corey For the FCT 
October 1, 2025
MUSCLE SHOALS — Transportation Planning Director Joseph Holt has been named the acting director of the Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments....

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *