Smithtown proposes weight limits for trucks on narrow roads

Keith Macartney stood by his home on Bread and Cheese Hollow Road in Fort Salonga on a recent weekday as several trucks and commercial vehicles whizzed behind him. The scene plays out frequently on the narrow and windy road, he said.

“From 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., that’s the worst,” Macartney, president of the Fort Salonga Civic Association, said. “I tell everyone not to back out of the driveway going out.”

Bread and Cheese Hollow Road in Fort Salonga has been prone to excessive traffic from a variety of trucks — including dump trucks that haul heavy loads and bring noise and traffic, Macartney said.

For years, frustrated residents on that road have sought better enforcement of a law that prohibits trucks, commercial vehicles, tractors and tractor-trailers weighing more than 5,000 pounds from traveling down that road, as well as other narrow thoroughfares.

The problem, residents say: Smithtown code prohibits trucks weighing more than 5,000 pounds from traveling such roads, but the limit applies only to the weight of the truck itself. Trucks that weigh less than that — but exceed the limit when cargo is accounted for — are exempt from the restriction.

Smithtown officials are considering a plan to close that loophole. A town proposal would prohibit such vehicles from traveling those roads if their total weight, including the cargo, exceeds 5,000 pounds, or 2½ tons. The town board will hold a public hearing on the proposal on Dec. 3.

  Smithtown Town Attorney Matt Jakubowski said in a statement the proposal would "allow for better enforcement of the restrictions."

On the corner of Pulaski and Bread and Cheese Hollow roads is a white-and-black-lettered sign that reads: “No trucks over 5000 lbs. Empty Wt.” A similar sign stands at the other end of the road. However, Macartney said, truck traffic remains heavy heading both ways between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the week.

Macartney said he spoke with staff from the Suffolk County Police Department's Fourth Precinct about enforcing weight limits on the road. He said officials told him they could not enforce the signs based on the way they are written. 

A Suffolk police spokeswoman told Newsday the department is looking into the issue.

The new law would apply to more than 180 roads and streets in Smithtown, including Bread and Cheese Hollow Road, Hallock Avenue in Smithtown, Wyandanch Boulevard in Commack and Indian Head Road in Kings Park.

Such signs are usually installed because there is “a design issue or structural issue” on roads that are unable to sustain heavy traffic, said Michael Shenoda, an associate professor at Farmingdale State College's department of civil engineering technology.

Weight limit signs have become more common in Suffolk for several reasons, including to address traffic and noise concerns, Shenoda said. Also, Shenoda said the signs may appear on local roads or bridges where officials are concerned about weight-bearing vehicles when truck traffic is heavy.

"People, certainly in this town, are concerned about the issues that trucks create in terms of noise and being able to maneuver in local streets," Shenoda said. Signs are installed, "usually because there's a specific either design issue or road issue that comes up — like the roadway not actually having been designed to accommodate trucks of a certain size."