Tractor trailers no longer can park on Frontage Road off Route 460 near Princeton
Jul. 20—PRINCETON — Tractor-trailers are no longer being allowed to park along the Frontage Road leading to the Mercer County Solid Waste Authority and the Mercer County Animal Shelter, but a Mercer County business is offering an alternative.
The West Virginia Department of Highways recently posted signs on the Frontage Road prohibiting parking along it.
"Yes, it's my understanding that the Department of Highways has placed No Parking signs there to help curb the amount of parking and the trash that has accumulated on that road," County Commissioner Greg Puckett said Tuesday. "I know there were a couple of trailers with some squatters that made residence there. and we know this is an area where people park their trucks. The problem is there isn't ample parking."
The Mercer County Commission has received calls about tractor-trailers not being able to park along the Frontage Road.
"We know there's a concern and we've heard the question, 'Where am I supposed to park?' So we tried to find opportunities, places to park," Puckett said. "I talked to Gordon Lusk who has a couple of properties he's willing to rent for monthly fee, but the county does not have any properties that are just open."
The county would need authority over any property it allowed tractor-trailers to park on and regulations for them, he said.
Puckett said that he has taken calls along with County Administrator Vicky Reed.
"We don't have control over the highways and roadways," Puckett said. "We'd still like to find a solution and we'll do what we can."
Gordon Lusk of All-In-1 storage off Coal Heritage Road in Bluefield is opening a parking area at 420 Hilltop Drive near Princeton. Tractor-trailers will be able to park there for a fee.
"We just rented the first one out today," Lusk said, describing the site as a former truck stop. It currently has room for five to six tractor-trailers, but it could handle around 20, "probably starting by the end of next week."
Another location being considered for tractor-trailer parking is at the old T & N Electric business in Brushfork, Lusk said. It is a gated facility that could probably accommodate a few trucks, he added. All-In-1 can be contacted at allin1storageunits@gmail.com or 304-800-4524.
Law enforcement agencies in Mercer County can enforce the Frontage Road ban on parking, said Chief Deputy Alan Christian with the Mercer County Sheriff's Department.
"We kind of wanted to have a grace period," Christian said. "We're not going to be as vigilant about it early on to allow folks who depend on that area to park to find another place to park."
There have been problems on the Frontage Road with property being stolen off the trucks parking there and with trash, Christian said. In one instance, a man was living there in a camper. Patrolling the road regularly is difficult.
"We're not going to be towing vehicles out of there directly," he said. "We may put some notes on vehicles and let them know they can't park there. That's not to say the state couldn't come out and say we want these vehicles towed."
Christian said the hope is there can be some leniency until truck drivers depending on being able to park there can make other arrangements. In some cases, they are in other parts of the country now and won't hear about the change until they return to Mercer County.
"The last thing we want to do is hamstring a working man or woman with the economy the way it is," he said.
Representatives of the state Department of Highways were unavailable for comment Tuesday.
— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
