Smuggler’s Notch has reopened for the season, but commercial drivers should take heed that there are some new additions added to the road to keep big rigs out of the narrow passageway.While the road is a popular scenic route, it can also be a commercial truck driver’s worst nightmare and a headache for everyone when those trucks inevitably get stuck.That’s why this year, VTRANS has installed chicanes located on both sides of Smuggler’s Notch.Chicanes are an artificial narrowing or turn on a road. They are typically used on auto-racing courses but can also be used to direct traffic along highly traveled roadways. They are designed to mirror the rugged terrain and sharp angles truck drivers would encounter while driving on Smuggler’s Notch Road.Travelers familiar with the Notch Road say the latest addition is a practical solution. “I believe they will be effective. see that they’ll stop, turn around. Anybody with brains who sees that has to stop,” said Dean Sutherin, a longtime visitor in the Green Mountain State. Sutherin said he has been visiting the state since the late 1980s and said the Notch is one of the best places to visit while in Vermont. “It’s just it’s nice coming up through here, especially in the fall. It’s beautiful in the fall,” he said.According to the Agency of Transportation, the chicanes are an experimental solution designed to allow real-time adjustments if needed.”This is designed to stop them from getting up there in the first place,” said Todd Sears, deputy director of operations. “You see the change in geometry, you see the turns that you have to navigate — that’s the key.” Highway officials are hopeful drivers will get the message.”We are pretty optimistic about the engineering of this chicane course, and we think that it’s going to be (a) success,” Sears said.NBC5 also reached out to the neighboring towns Vermont Route 108 about whether or not they believe the chicanes will be an effective solution. Stowe Town Manager Charles Safford responded that only “time will tell.”
Smuggler’s Notch has reopened for the season, but commercial drivers should take heed that there are some new additions added to the road to keep big rigs out of the narrow passageway.
While the road is a popular scenic route, it can also be a commercial truck driver’s worst nightmare and a headache for everyone when those trucks inevitably get stuck.
That’s why this year, VTRANS has installed chicanes located on both sides of Smuggler’s Notch.
Chicanes are an artificial narrowing or turn on a road.
They are typically used on auto-racing courses but can also be used to direct traffic along highly traveled roadways.
They are designed to mirror the rugged terrain and sharp angles truck drivers would encounter while driving on Smuggler’s Notch Road.
Travelers familiar with the Notch Road say the latest addition is a practical solution.
“I believe they will be effective. [Drivers] see that [and] they’ll stop, turn around. Anybody with brains who sees that has to stop,” said Dean Sutherin, a longtime visitor in the Green Mountain State.
Sutherin said he has been visiting the state since the late 1980s and said the Notch is one of the best places to visit while in Vermont.
“It’s just it’s nice coming up through here, especially in the fall. It’s beautiful in the fall,” he said.
According to the Agency of Transportation, the chicanes are an experimental solution designed to allow real-time adjustments if needed.
“This is designed to stop them from getting up there in the first place,” said Todd Sears, deputy director of operations. “You see the change in geometry, you see the turns that you have to navigate — that’s the key.”
Highway officials are hopeful drivers will get the message.
“We are pretty optimistic about the engineering of this chicane course, and we think that it’s going to be (a) success,” Sears said.
NBC5 also reached out to the neighboring towns Vermont Route 108 about whether or not they believe the chicanes will be an effective solution.
Stowe Town Manager Charles Safford responded that only “time will tell.”
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