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Residents urge action; supervisors request state truck restriction for Trinity Church Road
Summary
After residents described frequent heavy-truck traffic and a narrow, substandard bridge on Trinity Church Road, the Southampton County Board voted 4–1 to ask the Commonwealth Transportation Board to restrict through truck traffic on Trinity Church Road and designate Ivor Road as the alternate route (Wakefield Road removed from the request).
Residents from Trinity Church Road and adjoining neighborhoods filled the board room on Feb. 24 to press the supervisors for action after months of heavy tractor-trailer and logging-truck traffic on the narrow, largely unlined rural road.
Several residents presented measurements, video or camera counts showing sustained truck traffic and said the bridge near the curve is too narrow for modern tractor-trailers. "I have camera pictures of 12 to 20 fully loaded tractor trailers going up and down Trinity Church Road, basically 24 hours a day," said William Heitzer, who lives at the corner where Trinity Church Road meets Wakefield Road. He described near-miss incidents where passenger cars were forced into ditches when meeting large trucks.
Other residents described erosion of shoulders, repeated damage to the pavement, blind curves and near-constant noise. "Safety is the biggest concern," said Allison Chitwood Williams, who said she counted 46 tractor-trailer trips in a single day at one point and that the traffic makes it unsafe for teenage drivers and walkers.
Several speakers opposed a full closure of the road, saying local farms and businesses need access and arguing that VDOT should be asked to upgrade or straighten problem sections. "I will always stand in opposition to road closures as long as I'm paying taxes," said Gary Cross, who said closing roads can have significant knock-on impacts for farmers and existing businesses.
After hearing residents and discussing enforcement and alternatives, a supervisor moved to adopt a resolution requesting the Commonwealth Transportation Board to designate Trinity Church Road as a no-through-truck route with Ivor Road as an alternate, and to remove the Wakefield Road portion from the request. The motion passed 4–1.
The board also directed staff to request VDOT review of the bridge condition and recommended signage at the choke point as an immediate, lower-cost mitigation while the CTB considers any formal restriction.
Quote from the hearing: "The trucks drive excessively fast. There's also a bridge on Trinity Church Road...An average tractor trailer is 8 and a half feet wide. They're not gonna fit on that bridge," William Heitzer told the board.
Ending: The board voted to send the restriction request to the Commonwealth Transportation Board and to pursue near-term signage and a VDOT review of the bridge; the CTB will make the ultimate decision about a no-through-truck designation and any required signage or enforcement.
