Published: November 10, 2009 11:42 pm      

CITY OF TONAWANDA: Bridge issue revived; detour considered

In an effort to lay the issue of trucks running into the Young Street bridge to rest, the City of Tonawanda Common Council requested more input from its traffic and safety board.

The council has already passed a resolution to put signs down the entire length of Young Street banning trucks except for local delivery, but Council President Carl Zeisz said discussion continued as to whether it was the right move. The current signage along the street doesn’t match with the resolution, and City Electrician Jeff Schultz said adding too many signs can reduce their effectiveness.

But before the city puts up signs, the council is looking to tweak the resolution. Dick Barnard, who chairs the traffic and safety board, said most of the truck traffic going beyond the bridge comes from out of state truckers trying to avoid the Grand Island tolls on the way to Niagara Falls. That sends most of them off the 290 and north up Young, under the bridge that may be too low for them to pass under safely.

Truck route signs would divert that northbound traffic up Ellicott Creek Road instead, which may be inconvenient to truckers looking for a shortcut but would eliminate accidents with the bridge. And while Ellicott Creek Road bans truck traffic when it enters the Town of Tonawanda, they would have an opportunity to get back onto the Twin City Memorial Highway before getting themselves into trouble.

“If they go that way in the town, that’s their problem,” Schultz said. “They’re in violation.”

The more complicated issue revolves around southbound traffic on Young. Zeisz said he didn’t want trucks diverted onto routes that would take them across the Fremont Street bridge and under other train bridges on Fillmore Avenue or Niagara Street. Barnard agreed that if a truck was ever lodged under the Fillmore bridge it would be substantially worse than the problem presented on Young.

In response, the council entertained the notion of changing Morgan Street’s one-way designation back to a two-way. That would allow the city to divert trucks down Morgan and back onto Delaware Street without traveling south on Young. Barnard said the change to one-way traffic on Morgan and some other city streets was done in the 1950s on a consultant’s recommendation, but he didn’t find much merit in the designation.

“It was insane,” Barnard said. “There’s no need for it today.”

The council continues to consider changes to the resolution.

Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.