Lynn officials hopeful overpass project at Natural Bridge will alleviate truck problem

LYNN    -  The most recent announcement of $450,000 in ATRIP-II funds to finally begin the project at the Highway 278 railroad overpass that has been planned for decades  is  a major relief to the Town of Lynn, which has faced issues with larger trucks violating posted signs and detouring through their town.
The low overpass creates issues in the westbound lane of Highway 278 near the Natural Bridge intersection, resulting in damage to mobile homes hauled under it, as well as stripping logs off trucks and damaging taller trucks, which strike the top of the overpass, county officials have indicated.
Due to these dangers, large trucks are being detoured through the Town of Lynn in order to access Interstate 22, but the routes the trucks are taking through the town are causing significant issues, town officials said.
Although the Town of Lynn has posted signs limiting times when large vehicles can pass through, trucks are still  coming through restricted areas and have even become stuck trying to go over the town’s railroad crossings, officials added.
The traffic being diverted away from the Town of Natural Bridge poses a concern to Natural Bridge Mayor Pete Parrish.
“We don’t like people to have to drive around Natural Bridge. We want them to come through Natural Bridge,” Parrish told local and state officials at a recent meeting at Natural Bridge Town Hall to discuss the latest funding for the overpass project.
“We don’t do good if they avoid us,” Parrish pointed out.
The project will lower the portion of Highway 278 in the westbound lane three feet in the area of the overpass in order for mobile homes and larger trucks to have more clearance passing under it.
Lynn town officials agreed the overpass has posed a problem for years, but diverting larger trucks through their town is causing other major problems, as well as dangers for the small town, stressed Town Clerk Marcia Manasco.
In order to avoid the overpass, trucks are turning off Highway 5, south of the Natural Bridge intersection, onto East Main Street, town officials said.
Instead of crossing the railroad tracks from East Main onto West Main and continuing down to County Road 1, which travels to Highway 13, some trucks continue on East Main Street into the congested areas of town near the school, a violation of the town’s laws.
Signs are posted in that area to warn truckers, noted Lynn School Resource Officer Mike Clark, telling them to cross the tracks onto West Main Street and continue to County Road 1.
“Several years ago, they devised a plan to make the road bigger the south part of Lynn and access County Road 1,” Clark noted.
“The main problem is the safety part for the school buses in the morning, at the timeframe that the school buses would be on County Road 1,” Clark stressed.
Clark is warning trucks to stay out of certain areas of town, as a new school year begins today,  Wednesday, Aug. 7, and an increased traffic flow is expected on these city streets.
Signs have been posted on West Main Street, as well as County Road 1 about the truck curfew, meaning no large trucks or mobile home traffic is allowed in that area Monday through Friday from 6:15-8:15 a.m. and again from 2:15-4 p.m.
Signs have been posted at each entrance of town not only telling of these restricted times, but also that trucks must use West Main Street to County Road 1, not East Main Street, town officials said.
This would keep large trucks and mobile homes away from the central area of town near town hall and the school, police said.
“No trucks are to be on those roads, not just mobile homes,” Clark pointed out. “We don’t want them to cross over and get hung up on these railroad tracks.  That’s what happens a lot.
“They are not allowed on any of our (railroad) crossings except the southernmost crossing that leads them to County Road 1,” Clark instructed.
Larger trucks are allowed to come into town to make deliveries, but must exit on East Main Street toward Highway 5 and not go any farther into the main town area, officials said.