Who is SHRPN?
Although Cesar E. Chavez Ave SW is no longer designated as a truck route, there is little to no enforcement of this due to the City of Grand Rapids’ interpretation of Federal law 23 CFR 658.19 Reasonable Access which states that:
“No State may enact or enforce any law denying access within 1 road-mile from the National Network using the most reasonable and practicable route available except for specific safety reasons on individual routes.”
The law can be found here. The current interpretation by the city:
Grandville Avenue – A recommendation from the approved area specific plan was to “remove the trucks from Grandville.” A federal regulation for access to the National Network (essentially all interstates, in this case US-131) prohibits local agencies from restricting or enforcing restrictions to reasonable truck access within one mile of a National Network facility. The proposed change would downgrade Grandville from a Truck Route to a Major Street which would still allow reasonable truck access without making it an official truck route. This change would be accompanied by signage directing vehicles entering the area to the official truck route which would be along Century Avenue or Godfrey Avenue.
More Relevant Studies
Local school César E. Chávez Elementary is located at the intersection of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Hall Street. During an observation of truck traffic while parents pick up their children from school, 39 trucks were spotted in the 30-minute timeframe while large groups of parents and children crossed Cesar E. Chavez Avenue.
Our History
Our current efforts are not the first. Our community’s efforts to protect our residential neighborhood from the hazards of excessive heavy truck traffic running through four schools located on or within a block of Cesar Chavez Avenue.