Order approved to restrict truck traffic on some streets

Sturgis city commissioners on Nov. 24 approved control orders for large-truck traffic in some areas.
The city’s engineering department received requests from a resident on Jean Avenue and a business owner on Prospect Avenue to restrict truck traffic on Jean Avenue, from East Chicago Road to East Hatch Street. 
Large truck in this case is defined as “truck with more than two axles.” 
Currently, Jean Avenue has no traffic control order or signage restricting truck traffic. Jean is an Act 51 Local Street and is categorized as residential, according to city engineer Barry Cox.
In addition to Jean Avenue, city staff reviewed current signage and traffic control orders on north/south streets from East Hatch to East Chicago.
The city currently has signs posted on North Fourth, the 200 block of North Maple and one south of East West on Susan Avenue, Cox told commissioners. 
A review of the city’s traffic control orders shows that while there is a traffic control order regarding truck traffic on North Fourth, neither North Maple nor Susan has a traffic control order to restrict trucks. Each of those streets also is Act 51 Local and residential. 
Staff suggested control orders to restrict semi-truck traffic on Jean, North Maple and Susan avenues to maintain consistency of traffic control between East Hatch Street and East Chicago Road for the residential areas. 
Truck drivers who must access non-residential areas on East Hatch Street may use North Prospect Street or North Lakeview as north-south connectors in that area, according to the order. 
Cox said he became aware of the situation in 2024, when MadCheetah, an auction house business, moved to a site at 309 N. Prospect. 
“I spoke with their manager, who has been informing trucks they couldn’t go down Jean Avenue to leave his facility, but the driver feedback was, ‘There aren’t any signs to say I can’t go down the street,’” Cox said.
Sturgis Sentinel messages seeking comment from MadCheetah were not immediately returned.
In April 2025, a resident in the 200 block of Jean also expressed concern about truck traffic, Cox said. 
“I touched base with Mad Cheetah’s manager again in August about the issue and he felt signage was the only way to get truck drivers to avoid it, if they were potentially ticketed,” Cox said. “At this point, I believed installing signage was the best way to try to address the issue, so it was brought to the city commission for approval.”
Cox has not received additional feedback regarding other areas of the city that should be off-limits to large trucks, based on Act 51 local street designation.
Commissioner Aaron Miller has received “informal feedback” from constituents regarding the situation, and noticed it first-hand in some areas. 
 “Just in the (previous) couple of months alone, I saw a semi truck on Mechanic Street, a semi truck on South Nottawa … I’ve seen them on East Congress … wherever we can (prohibit) large-truck traffic, the better.”