decorahnews.com reader responds to story about Sears semis

(James Maloney, a professional engineer, e-mailed decorahnews.com following our story about semis that have been causing problems while making deliveries to the Decorah Sears store off Short Street):

"In my experience as a civil engineer working as a consultant for both private commercial site developers and municipal clients, trucking access scenarios are worked out prior to City Approvals for the proposed business layout of the building, parking lots, and loading docks.  We had to go through rigorous City (and client) reviews to show that trucks could access the loading docks without adverse impacts such as wheel path encroachment on adjacent property.

This issue in most cities would have been identified at the preliminary plan stage, prior to submittal for approvals by  the Planning & Zoning Commission and the City Council.
 
There are computer programs available to Engineers (both consultant to the developer and City Engineer reviewer) to apply design truck path templates on the site layout to ensure that the typical semi truck vehicle can access the loading docks without encroachment on adjacent property.  The location of the building, loading dock or the parking lot (and sometimes property boundary line) may have to be altered to allow proper (and legal)  truck access PRIOR TO City approval and site construction.

It is not the semi drivers' fault.  The problem lies with the original process of preliminary planning and approval of the site layout by the City.

I do not know what the process was with the City when the Sears site layout was approved."