Commissioners approve local portion of Farmersburg detour tied to state road closure in Sullivan County

County commissioners approved an unofficial local detour that will route truck traffic onto a one-mile section of Farmersburg Road from 246 South to the county line to work around a planned closure on State Road 48 in neighboring Sullivan County.

Larry Robbins, staff member, said the detour is needed because railroad crossings on alternatives block trucks from reaching US 41 and that the closest crossing for heavy trucks is at 246. He said most of the detour route is in Sullivan County and that Sullivan County had already approved the unofficial local detour in its jurisdiction. Robbins said the county will sign crossings with high-center truck signs to discourage trucks from taking narrower crossings.

Robbins said the county will have a staff member, Corey, video the road conditions before and after the detour is in place. He also said the work will result in truck traffic detouring into the county on Farmersburg Road. Commissioners moved, seconded and approved the detour route.

Robbins described the work as related to NDOT's closure on SR 48 in Sullivan County and said the county-internal portion of the detour covers roughly one mile of Farmersburg Road. He apologized for the late presentation of the item, saying he had intended to bring it to the commission the prior week.