If there is anything residents in Morrisville agree on, stopping truck traffic on South Pennsylvania Avenue is it and apparently that’s finally coming to fruition after years of pointing out the harm to the community, as PennDOT announced last week, during state Senator’s Steve Santarsiero’s (D-10) annual road tour, trucks weighing more than 10 tons will soon be prohibited.
“The ban will protect scores of residents in the area from the adverse impact of excessive heavy truck traffic,” officials said.
“For residents who live along S. Pennsylvania Avenue or on the neighboring streets, the roadway is a vital part of their day-to-day lives,” said Senator Santarsiero. “When Morrisville Borough residents and officials first brought the issue of excessive truck traffic on S. Pennsylvania Avenue to my attention, it was clear it would take time to find the right solution to balance the interests of residents and area businesses. The prohibition of trucks on S. Pennsylvania Avenue will bring relief to residents and ensure the structural integrity of the roadbed remains intact.”
The issue of excessive heavy truck traffic on S. Pennsylvania Avenue has been ongoing for a decade, prompting an escalating series of actions by PennDOT and local officials to alleviate the issue.
In November 2021, a PennDOT traffic study was completed on S. Pennsylvania Avenue approaching Morrisville Borough from Falls Township, demonstrating the need to reduce the speed limit from 55 mph to 45 mph between Tyburn Road and 3rd Street in Falls Township, resulting in a reduction of speed for drivers entering the Borough.
Following the 2021 speed reduction, Senator Santarsiero worked closely with PennDOT to advocate for a speed limit reduction along S. Pennsylvania Avenue between Philadelphia Avenue and Post Road in the Borough. In June 2022, the speed limit was reduced from 30 mph to 25 mph. Additionally, PennDOT agreed to supply and install signs, without cost to the Borough, and paint speed limit markers onto the surface of the road.
Senator Santarsiero continued, “The speed reduction was a critical step to addressing the concerns of Morrisville residents and improving safety along S. Pennsylvania Avenue. I was pleased to advocate for PennDOT to cover the costs of the signs so the burden would not fall on the Borough.”
During the Senator’s annual road tour in August 2022, Senator Santarsiero highlighted continued concerns of residents about the size and scale of truck traffic along the residential street. At that time, PennDOT and the Senator discussed the need to change the highway designation from Intermodal Corridor to Major Collector. This change in designation required approval from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and was necessary to allow PennDOT to implement certain traffic calming measures along the roadway. Senator Santarsiero met with PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll in February 2023 to share concerns about S. Pennsylvania Avenue and the need to change the designation. Senator Santarsiero worked with the Bucks County Commissioners to advocate for the change in designation, ultimately granted by DVRPC in September 2023.
At the same time, Senator Santarsiero joined with other elected officials and Bucks County Commissioners in sending a letter of support to Google Maps to change the preferred driving directions for drivers exiting the Keystone Trade Center and traveling to Rt 1 from S. Pennsylvania Avenue to Tyburn Road. Google Maps agreed to change the default route, reducing the number of trucks travelling through the Borough. Additionally, PennDOT and Morrisville Borough worked with Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission to update signage in Trenton for trucks to use Route 13 after entering Morrisville.
Understanding continued concerns from residents, Senator Santarsiero helped facilitate a meeting with PennDOT, Borough leadership and residents, which took place in January 2024. The Senator also met with Representative Jim Prokopiak (D-140), who was newly elected to the legislature in 2024, to brief him on the issue.
“I applaud the action being taken to ban trucks on S. Pennsylvania Ave,” said Representative Prokopiak. “This action will increase the quality of life and safety for Morrisville residents, especially those living near Pennsylvania Ave. This action is the result of a collaboration between state and local officials who all worked together to make Morrisville a better place to live.”
Senator Santarsiero added, “Thank you to the residents of Morrisville Borough for your patience as we all navigated this process together. The intricacies of state and federal highway designations made this a complex issue that has taken years to find workable solutions for, but I am confident today’s announcement, paired with the changes already in place, will improve the lives of Borough residents.”
No official date has been set for the 10-ton truck prohibition, officials said.
The new regulation will prohibit trucks, loaded or unloaded, weighing more than 10 tons to travel on S. Pennsylvania Avenue between Philadelphia Avenue and Tyburn Road. Signage will be installed in the coming months to inform drivers of the restriction, at which point Morrisville Borough will begin enforcement, officials from Penn DOT did say.
“We want to thank our State Senator Steve Santarsiero for working with us in interceding with PennDOT to reduce excessive truck traffic. This latest positive change will greatly improve the quality of life for all residents of Morrisville Borough and help fulfill our long-term vision of revitalizing our historic and wonderful river town community,” Council President Helen Hlahol said.
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