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Contact: Chief Ranger Sarah Davis, 662-680-4014
TUPELO, MS – “There’s a tractor trailer on the Parkway,” reported the caller to the Parkway Dispatcher. “It’s heading north from Highway 82.” This was the eighth call of the day on illegal trucks traveling the Parkway, but this time rangers could not respond because they were busy with a motor vehicle collision. The dispatcher thanked the caller and hoped a ranger would get free to catch the truck before it exited the Parkway.
In the past few years, the number of tractor trailers on the Parkway has steadily increased. Rangers and dispatchers have been tracking the most common entrance and exit points for truck traffic in an attempt to reduce the number of trucks illegally accessing the Parkway. Based on the data collected, they created a new sign plan that provides a clear notice to truckers that the Parkway is off limits.
“Each entrance already has a sign that says ‘No Commercial Vehicles.’ We are adding the universal No Truck Symbol signs to the entrances where we have the most problems with truck traffic,” said Chief Ranger Sarah Davis. “The new signs have a drawing of a truck with a red circle and slash through it. There should be no misunderstanding; trucks are prohibited on the Parkway.”
The Parkway would like to thank MDOT and the City of Tupelo who have already installed a number of the new signs. The Parkway will also install additional signs on many other entrance ramps. If you see a tractor trailer on the Parkway, please contact 1-800-300-PARK (7275) and provide the dispatcher with the location, direction of travel, and any other identifying truck features. Please do not send a message via Facebook as the message page is not routinely monitored by law enforcement and response will be delayed.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.
Last updated: January 26, 2018