Council approves temporary truck restriction on Harrison Road near Glen Karen Elementary

The East Lansing City Council voted Jan. 6 to adopt policy resolution 2026-2, temporarily restricting class 8 and larger trucks on Harrison Road between Grand River Avenue and Saginaw Highway for 90 days.

Director of Public Works Ron Lacasse summarized the Spicer Group traffic counts and staff analysis. The consultant’s September counts recorded a maximum daily class 8 truck count of 10 (five northbound, five southbound) on the corridor; staff recommended using the Federal Highway Administration vehicle-classification system to define trucks for enforceability. "Given the number of class 8 trucks recorded during the data collection effort, staff is comfortable moving forward with the recommendation without a more detailed study of where those trucks are going to go," Lacasse said, while noting that the city does not yet know the reroute impacts on adjacent arterials.

Council members asked about impacts and enforcement. Staff noted limitations (the city lacks a motor-carrier-weight officer and therefore cannot enforce by weight on the spot), described outreach plans including discussions with Michigan State University to route contractor trucks to I-127 when possible, and cautioned that more restrictive bans would require a formal study of reroute impacts.

The council approved the policy resolution (motion by Mayor Altman, second Meadows). The restriction is temporary and was presented as a near-term safety measure to protect Glen Karen Elementary students and the residential feel of Harrison Road while staff evaluates longer-term truck routing options.

Next steps: staff will monitor impacts during the 90-day restriction, coordinate with MSU and enforcement partners, and report back to council with data and recommendations for possible long-term changes.