The Eldred Township supervisors plan to enact an ordinance to reduce the speed limit on Point Phillips Road to 30 mph. The ordinance would also prohibit commercial trucks, except for those doing local deliveries.

The road runs from Eldred Township over the mountain to Moore Township. It is steep, curvy with tight turns, and narrow in some sections. Currently, there isn’t any posted speed limit, said Ann Velopolcek, the township secretary.

At the meeting, Jonathan Gula, the Public Works Department supervisor, said that online mapping systems often detour traffic over the road, and dirt roads typically come up as having speed limits of 55 mph.

Hanover Engineering, the township’s engineer, did the speed study recently, and in addition to a speed limit, it recommended a weight limit for any trucks that do use it. Gula said he thinks the weight limit was 5 tons, which is the limit that Moore Township has for the road in its municipality.

Scott Clark, the chairman of the supervisors, said, “This all started with some concerns that were brought to the board from residents.”

In 2019, the driver of a garbage truck was killed when his truck smashed into a house while traveling north on Point Phillips Road. Clark said one time he encountered a full-size trailer truck coming up the mountain. It had to back down the Moore Township side, because it couldn’t make the hairpin corner.

Gula said he would send the speed study prepared by Hanover Engineering to the township solicitor so he could work on the ordinance.

The ordinance should be ready in time for the supervisors meeting on March 19, Velopolcek said. They will vote at that time whether or not it is ready to advertise. If advertised, a hearing on it would be held at the supervisors meeting on April 16 and a vote would be taken in order to pass it.