Elwood Semi-Truck Traffic and Road Restrictions

The Village of Elwood, Illinois held a special meeting July 23, 2014 at 7 p.m. to discuss "AN ORDINANCE REPEALING ORDINANCE NO. 1027 ENTITLED “AN
ORDINANCE APPROVING THE MODIFICATION OF TRAFFIC PATTERNS
AND IMPOSING RESTRICTIONS UPON USAGE OF CERTAIN VILLAGE
ROADS”

Elwood had passed an ordinance in May restricting truck traffic on certain Village of Elwood roads in an attempt to reduce the number of trucks driving through Elwood and using U.S. Route 53.  Because trucks can currently only enter CenterPoint-Joliet from the south, trucks were getting off I80, coming south on 53, and then going through Elwood to reach the South Entrance to CenterPoint-Joliet. Elwood's May '14 ordinance restricted trucks from using CenterPoint Drive as a through street, among other restrictions. CenterPoint, Union Pacific,and APL Logistics brought a federal suit to remove the road restrictions, arguing they violated interstate commerce laws.


At the July 23, '14 meeting, the Village passed an ordinance repealing Ordinance 1027.   Elwood said now that it has repealed the ordinance, instead of spending hundreds of thousands it would have likely cost to argue against CenterPoint et al in court, the Village will focus its efforts on an August 20, 2014 meeting of the Illinois Commerce Commission.  There an administrative law judge will make recommendations for improving safety at the Walter Strawn Railroad Crossing.

The Village of Elwood posted a video to YouTube showing a truck breaking through the railroad gate.  According to the Village of Elwood, trucks broke the railroad gates at Walter Strawn 47 times in 2013.

Will County News spoke with Elwood Police Chief Fred Hayes regarding truck traffic in and around Elwood:

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