Monroe residents don’t want truck traffic on Todhunter Road caused by industrial parks in

Middletown city leaders have said now that the 75 Logistics Center is leased, they hope that leads to further development in the adjacent MADE Industrial Park that has 45 available acres.

There are two access drives off Yankee Road and trucks should be using those as entrance and exit, according to the letter. When the lot was being prepped for the warehouse, Todhunter residents were told the access off Todhunter was for emergency use only, the letter read.

Patricia Osborne, who lives on Todhunter, said she’s an advocate for business development but “not at the expense of other people.”

Councilman Tom Callahan said he lives on Todhunter and he agreed “100 percent” with the contents of the letter. He said there’s a blind spot on Todhunter and if it’s not fixed “people will get killed.”

Doug Swain, vice president and general manager at Opus, attended the virtual city council meeting. He said his company spent $250,000 replacing a culvert to increase safety. He said Opus will “come up with a solution that works” and wants to be “good citizens.”

Councilwoman Christina McElfresh said “no truck” signs have been erected on the road since 2018 and she asked truck drivers to “respect this issue” and not travel on the road.

Swain said most of the truck traffic is caused by construction workers and he said he would address residents’ concerns with the drivers.

Mayor Jason Frentzel said city council will continue to address the issue and said it “won’t die” after Tuesday’s meeting.

Phil Callahan, the city’s law director, said he would investigate the situation and determine the best course of legal action for the city if necessary.

Residents on Todhunter Road in Monroe signed a petition against trucks traveling on their road. They said there are “no truck” signs on the road that are disobeyed by drivers. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF