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Towns will get relief from trucks
Restrictions to be enforced on Del. 299

Residents in Middletown and Odessa soon may notice something missing from Main Street.

The state Department of Transportation plans to limit trucks on Del. 299, which runs east and west through both towns and connects three major north-south routes.

DelDOT intends to prohibit trucks with more than two axles, except those making local deliveries, from the eastern edge of Odessa to U.S. 301 on the west side of Middletown.

The state already had a weight limit on part of the road, prohibiting trucks with more than three axles traveling from U.S. 301 to Del. 1 in Middletown.

Residents in both towns have complained for the past year that the number of trucks on the road has increased and the noise throughout the night from braking big rigs woke homeowners who live along the road.

"What we found since we opened Route 1 is that you have some toll evaders, trucks in particular," DelDOT spokeswoman Michele Ackles said. Drivers heading north and south on Del. 1, U.S. 13 and U.S. 301 can avoid tolls and a weigh station in Blackbird by using Del. 299, depending upon which direction they are heading.

State Police Lt. Alice Bailey and New Castle County police Lt. Bruce Taylor announced at local meetings this month that they intend to enforce the changes. Signs should be posted by the end of February, depending on weather conditions.

"We've been talking for three or four years to get a weight limit on the Odessa portion of 299," Odessa Mayor Rebecca Tulloch said. Residents at the Odessa Town Council meeting applauded Bailey when she announced the change last week.

"It's just too much traffic, particularly for us," Tulloch said.

Reach Melissa Tyrrell at 838-3189 or mtyrrell@delawareonline.com.