Sellersburg has had enough of semi-trucks tearing through its neighborhoods. The town council voted unanimously on August 10 to ban commercial trucks from eight residential streets, as heavy rigs, misdirected by GPS apps and squeezed off US 31 by ongoing highway construction, rumbled through streets never built to hold them.
The new rule, formally adopted as Ordinance 2026-ORD-012, prohibits semi-truck traffic on Oak Street, Saint Paul Street, Sellers Avenue, Hauss Avenue, Allhands Avenue, Schellers Avenue, Highland Avenue, and Shirley Avenue. As WDRB reports, the affected roads are residential streets that simply are not designed for semi-trucks, and drivers had not been following posted restrictions consistently, according to Charlie Smith.
The problem, town leaders say, traces directly back to the Indiana Department of Transportation’s ongoing US 31 reconstruction. INDOT began phased lane closures between Prather Lane and State Road 403 in mid-February, part of a broader US 31 improvement project, per the town’s own project updates. That construction, per WDRB, prompted some truck drivers to seek alternate routes, and construction created additional navigation challenges for drivers already struggling to find their way around the closures.
Truck Drivers on Narrow Residential Streets
The broader issue involves truck drivers following navigation apps onto narrow residential streets they have no way of knowing are off-limits. A Bureau of Transportation Statistics report says GPS tracking can help drivers and dispatchers avoid truck-restricted routes, residential areas, low bridges and other truck-specific restrictions…