Marysville council backs drafting ordinance to route semis onto Sixth Street after safety debate over Seventh Street

The Marysville City Council on July 28 voted 6-2 to direct staff to draft an ordinance to designate South Sixth Street north of Highway 36 as an official truck route, including signage, stop signs, crosswalks and parking modifications, after weeks of public concern about semi traffic on the Seventh Street corridor.

The decision followed public comments from the Blue River Rail Trail and the Perrysville Union Pacific Historical Depot Preservation Society urging the council to avoid routing heavy trucks down Seventh Street, which runs past the rail-trail and the historic depot.

"Allowing a large number of semis to access the rail yard via Seventh Street corridor would create serious safety concerns," Shelby Temps, speaking for the Blue River Rail Trail, told the council. Temps said the trail begins at Seventh and Broadway and that in 2024 "14,879 people walked, biked, or ran on the trail," calling the corridor a growing economic and recreational asset. "Kids ride their bike on the trail to get to the kids' bike park near Jayhawk Road," Temps said, urging alternatives such as Sixth Street.

Dave Lynn, president of the Perrysville Union Pacific Historical Depot Society, urged the council to prohibit truck traffic on Seventh Street and asked councilors "to vote tonight to draft an ordinance that will close Seventh Street from Carolina to Calhoun effective September 1." Lynn said truck traffic and grain dust risked undermining trail development, tourism and events at the depot.

Business owner Brian, representing Home City Grain, told the council he did not object to using Sixth Street if the city preferred. "I'm fine with Sixth. I haven't really paid a whole lot of attention to the cross streets… but I'm absolutely fine with that," he said, and later said he did not expect to use the route heavily until October or November.

Council discussion centered on tradeoffs between business operations, pedestrian and child safety near the trail and depot, and the practicalities of designating and enforcing a truck route. Police and public works officials recommended traffic-control measures regardless of the chosen alignment; the police chief advised that stop signs at Carolina and Calhoun would be appropriate to control speed whether trucks used Sixth or Seventh.

A motion to draft a proposed ordinance to make Sixth Street an official truck route — specifying signage, stop signs, crosswalks and parking changes — was moved and seconded; the council approved the motion 6-2. The motion asked city staff to prepare a formal ordinance for council review rather than to enact rules immediately.

Councilors and staff also discussed short-term questions raised by Home City Grain's request to place dust control and rock on a city road at the company's expense. The council did not approve a permanent dust-control permit during the meeting; members said they would not encourage installation on Seventh Street while the longer-term routing and corridor plans were developed. Brian agreed to withdraw the immediate dust-control request.

Council members asked staff to return in two weeks with a draft ordinance and related proposals for traffic-control measures and parking adjustments. The council also agreed to further study a possible closure of Seventh Street between Carolina and Calhoun and to pursue a stormwater/drainage study for the Seventh Street corridor as a separate but related project; staff said they would prepare an RFP scope so the city could solicit bids for the drainage study.

Why it matters: The council vote aims to reduce near-term safety risks for trail users and depot visitors while giving the city time to craft a legal truck-route ordinance and to design traffic-control and drainage measures. The corridor has drawn sustained local investment and volunteer fundraising; residents and organizations told the council they fear that heavy truck traffic could undermine those efforts.

What’s next: City staff will draft the proposed truck-route ordinance and return it to council. The city will also scope a stormwater/drainage study for the Seventh Street corridor and place the request to consider closing Seventh Street between Carolina and Calhoun on a future council agenda.