City weighs options after repeated truck strikes on Main/Nelson traffic controller

City staff told the Lexington City Council on April 17, 2025, that the traffic controller on Main Street at Nelson near Cornerstone Bank has been struck repeatedly, and staff presented two options and asked merchants for input on less-disruptive solutions.

Staff said the controller has been hit four times since Thanksgiving and that orange jersey barriers currently used are not a long-term solution. Options discussed include installing a planted barrier (a planter) over the manhole to slow trucks, relocating or reconfiguring the nearby parking and restriping the block between Bank of the James and nearby purveyors, or other engineering solutions intended to protect the controller without eliminating needed parking.

Officials said the parking space currently at issue is a handicap-accessible space; staff intends to restripe the stretch so that after changes five parking spaces will be returned and at least one accessible space preserved. Merchants and council members asked staff to examine alternatives that avoid losing daytime parking for shoppers; several pointed out that 10-minute spots already exist nearby and could be inventoried to see if reallocation is feasible.

Council members and staff expressed preference for testing the least disruptive fix first — for example, a planter — before changing parking configuration. Staff said they will continue to solicit merchant input and refine designs to avoid repeated repairs and move the orange barriers out of the street.