Difficult to keep big rigs off mountain pass

A resident of the Greene County town of Hunter has asked the Saugerties Town Board to come up with a way to stop large trucks from using Platte Clove Road and getting stuck on a sharp turn along the narrow route between West Saugerties and Hunter.

At a board meeting Wednesday, Roy Silver said signs noting vehicle size limits have not been enough to keep 18-wheelers from taking the seasonal road.

“The signs that went up ... have been very helpful,” he said. “[But] there have been a couple of instances of big rigs trying to make it up despite the signs.”

Silver encouraged board members to place a “Truck Route” sign at the West Saugerties Road intersection with Manorville Road to let drivers know where commercial traffic should end. The turn is about a half-mile from the point where West Saugerties Road becomes Platte Clove Road.

Town officials also were told a sign indicating a 4-ton limit on the road is hidden by plant overgrowth. Silver suggested the sign be moved so drivers can see it and have more warning about the restriction.

Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra said trucks attempting to use the route continues to be a problem.

“We just had one in the last two weeks where we had to get them down off the mountain,” he said.

“You can’t fix stupid,” Sinagra added. “If truck drivers read the signs and insist they’re going to try to go over a mountain that’s impossible to go over with a tractortrailer and be put in a position where they’re either going to have to be towed or we have to waste our time trying to back them down ... no matter how many signs you’re going to put up, it’s not going to help.”

Sinagra said it takes 60 to 90 minutes for trucks to be guided back down Platte Clove Road. Most drivers require a tow truck because traveling in reverse is too dangerous, he said.

“We have to get Greene County to close their end, and we have to close our end,” he said. “It’s got to be very nerve-wracking for them to try to back down the mountain, and a lot of the time they can’t make the turn, so they have to get a tow truck to guide the trailer while they guide the tractor. It becomes very expensive when they start doing that.”

Sinagra said offending drivers are issued tickets for failing to follow a traffic control device.