LAPEL — What started as a declaration of local emergency last month will now become a town ordinance.

At the May 2 Lapel Town Council meeting, the board approved a road weight limit ordinance that is scheduled to go into effect within two weeks.

The board also approved extending the local emergency declaration until that time.

“It was an emergency ordinance before; now it will be a permanent ordinance,” town council President Deb Wainscott said. “We have to keep the emergency declaration for two weeks, because the ordinance has to be published for two weeks.”

The ordinance pertains to county roads 300 South, 400 South, 500 South, 650 South and 700 South from 1000 West (Atlantic Road) to State Road 13.

On April 15, Wainscott signed the declaration of local emergency. At the following town council meeting on April 18, the council, town employees and concerned citizens discussed issues about use of the roads by large trucks.

Indiana Department of Transportation recently closed part of State Road 38 to replace a bridge over Mud Creek. Trucks have been taking the county roads — which aren’t designed to handle the weight of the trucks — instead of using the preferred detour along state roads 13 and 32.

Wainscott said some of those roads that were recently repaired are already getting damaged because of construction vehicles.

Trucks are using the roads and, according to town residents, not driving safely.

Resident Clay Parkison, a former councilman, said, “They’re not slowing down or stopping at stop signs.”

Parkison added that trucks did not slow down even when he was out near the road checking his mailbox.

“It’s like downtown Indianapolis,” Parkison said. “They don’t slow up just because I am standing there.”

Police chief Kelly Naselroad said he and his crew have increased patrolling the roads to try to help curtail the dangerous driving.

“We have definitely stepped up patrols,” Naselroad said. “We are stopping a lot of people. I don’t know if it has made a difference or not. As of last meeting (April 18), we were asked to step it up and we have stepped it up even more than what we were.

“We’re doing everything we can do except for sticking somebody there 24-7,” the chief said. “We’re going up and down those roads trying to get people to slow down.”

The declaration directed the town street department to post signs prohibiting traffic that exceeds a weight limit of five tons (revised from seven tons in the initial declaration). Violators will be fined in accordance with the provisions of Section 4-6 Road Weight Limits, of the Town of Lapel, Indiana Code of Ordinance.

The State Road 38 bridge project is scheduled to last 90 days. Another road project, on a culvert on County Road 500 South, is slated to begin this summer.

Wainscott said exceptions will be made for agricultural vehicles and school buses that must take those routes. She also said the town was ordering more weight limit signs for the roads.

In other business, councilman Jason Kleinbub updated the board on the progress of Bodenhorn Park.

He said two fields were ready for play at last weekend’s opening day.

“Everything is moving right along,” Kleinbub said, noting that Field No. 3 (of four fields) was close to being finished. “Hopefully, within the next couple of months, all four fields will be up and ready.”