Sellersburg has had enough of semi-trucks tearing through its neighborhoods. The town council voted unanimously on August 10 to ban commercial trucks from eight residential streets, as heavy rigs, misdirected by GPS apps and squeezed off US 31 by ongoing highway construction, rumbled through streets never built to hold them.
The new rule, formally adopted as Ordinance 2026-ORD-012, prohibits semi-truck traffic on Oak Street, Saint Paul Street, Sellers Avenue, Hauss Avenue, Allhands Avenue, Schellers Avenue, Highland Avenue, and Shirley Avenue. As WDRB reports, the affected roads are residential streets that simply are not designed for semi-trucks, and drivers had not been following posted restrictions consistently, according to Charlie Smith.
The problem, town leaders say, traces directly back to the Indiana Department of Transportation's ongoing US 31 reconstruction. INDOT began phased lane closures between Prather Lane and State Road 403 in mid-February, part of a broader US 31 improvement project, per the town's own project updates. That construction, per WDRB, prompted some truck drivers to seek alternate routes, and construction created additional navigation challenges for drivers already struggling to find their way around the closures.
Truck Drivers on Narrow Residential Streets
The broader issue involves truck drivers following navigation apps onto narrow residential streets they have no way of knowing are off-limits. A Bureau of Transportation Statistics report says GPS tracking can help drivers and dispatchers avoid truck-restricted routes, residential areas, low bridges and other truck-specific restrictions.
The WDRB report notes that some truck drivers simply followed GPS directions onto local roads regardless.
Cones and Horses Weren't Enough
Sellersburg didn't jump straight to an ordinance. The town had already posted signs telling drivers not to take certain roads, and at one point placed traffic horses and cones in the roadway to physically block trucks from turning onto restricted streets. Neither measure held: semi-trucks ran over the cones and horses, and some drivers ignored the signs telling them not to turn.
Cathy Davidson, who lives on Hauss Avenue, told WDRB that a semi-truck repeatedly damaged her property, and that the town had previously placed physical barriers in the roadway specifically to keep trucks off her street. Those barriers, like the cones elsewhere in town, apparently weren't enough to stop the rigs.
Why the Damage Adds Up So Fast
Heavy truck traffic is adding to the frustration. The Federal Highway Administration's Truck Parking Development Handbook discusses truck parking development.
Sellersburg's new ordinance restricts semi-truck traffic on the listed streets. Louisville Metro code provides a nearby precedent, making it unlawful for trucks weighing more than 21,000 pounds, including the load, to use certain streets. The Courier-Journal reported on Dec. 2, 2024, that a proposed ban on heavy truck traffic in Louisville’s Old Louisville and Limerick neighborhoods was tabled after residents sought to keep the trucks out of the historic areas.
State Highway, Local Streets, Different Rulebooks
The jurisdictional split matters here. INDOT manages US 31 itself, but the residential detour routes surrounding it fall under Sellersburg's own enforcement, a distinction the state agency spelled out in guidance reported by Hoodline last October. The distinction clarifies that the state agency and town have different roadway responsibilities.
Sellersburg is dealing with semi-truck traffic as the US 31 project continues. Town officials say completion of the US 31 project, expected in November, should help alleviate some of the semi-truck problems by removing the construction detours that have been funneling trucks toward residential streets in the first place. In the meantime, officials are asking truck drivers to follow the posted signs rather than relying solely on navigation apps to find their way through town.
