Conn. Sets Truck Ban on Dangerous Decline

The Connecticut State Traffic Commission has put in place a temporary ban on big trucks from the a steep portion of state Route 44 on Avon Mountain, the Hartford Courant reported.

The State Traffic Commission which held an emergency meeting, voted to ban all trucks over 26,000 pounds from Route 44 between Route 218 in West Hartford and Route 10 in Avon, Conn., the paper reported Wednesday.

The board’s ban came a week after a crash last week in which a tractor-trailer lost control descending the hill and crashed into a furniture store. The driver was injured, but no one else was hurt, the Courant said

The ban starts as soon as the state can make new signs, inform trucking companies and set up enforcement plans, most likely within five to 10 days, the Courant reported, citing state officials.

Four people died in the same area in 2005 when a dump truck coming down the hill lost control and hit a stretch of commuter traffic, injuring 19 people.

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