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Tonawanda mayor bans truck traffic on Young Street after series of bridge collisions

Posted at 9:32 AM, Mar 14, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-14 18:36:59-04

CITY OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Mayor Rick Davis of the City of Tonawanda issued an executive order on Thursday morning prohibiting truck traffic on Young Street, specifically in the area of the railroad bridge, near Harriet Street.

The bridge has been the site of three crashes within the last three weeks, all involving tractor trailers getting stuck trying to make the clearance underneath. The bridge is owned by CSX. 7 Eyewitness News reporter Ed Reilly recently spoke to Mayor Davis about the issue.Mayor Davis pointed out they had installed ten warning signs, and even made some different colors.

Below is the executive order from Mayor Davis:

Under the Authority vested in me by the City of Tonawanda Charter, I am issuing Executive Order 2019-01 which prohibits trucks from using Young Street southbound from the Fremont Street Bridge to Vietnam Veterans Highway on/off ramp at Young Street and northbound from Vietnam Veterans Highway, Young Street on/off ramp north to the Fremont Street Bridge. The length of term of the EO is indefinitely. I have asked or Police Department to step up Patrols in the area and have zero tolerance ticketing policy
Mayor Rick Davis, City of Tonawanda

CSX said in a statement:

At CSX safety is our highest priority and we urge motorists to heed warning signs near any of the bridges on our network, even if their GPS instructs them to proceed. We appreciate the work of the local road authority and the town of Tonawnda in their efforts to post warning signs near the Young Street Bridge.