STOWE, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont transportation officials say they are moving ahead with a plan to prevent the perennial problem of stuck trucks on the Notch Road.
VTrans says they are beginning work this week to install traffic mitigation controls called “chicanes” on both sides of Route 108 in Stowe and Jeffersonville. They will consist of orange barrels and curbs designed to stop tractor-trailers and other oversized vehicles, forcing them to turn around,
Despite numerous flashing warning signs and stiff penalties for drivers, an average of five big rigs continue to get stuck per year, causing traffic to back up on each side for hours on the scenic route.
State and local officials have worked over the past few years to come up with solutions to prevent stuck trucks from using the narrow road and they first floated the chicane plan last fall.
The new barriers are expected to be finished by mid-May. If they are effective during two years of testing, officials say more permanent barriers will be constructed.