Mount Avenue and Ararat Street Truck Restrictions

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions and the posted minutes; names may be misheard.

What: two Worcester truck-restriction petitions: more warning signs on Mount Ave. (Mayor Joseph M. Petty and Tony Economou for a resident) and an Ararat St. truck exclusion that reinforces the state's, west of I-190. See also Truck Ban - Hamilton Street and Lake Avenue.
Where it stands: both approved 2-0 on 2026-07-22 and adopted 9-0 by the Council on 2026-08-18.
Next: sign installation; the department will look at advance signage farther from Mount Ave.

Residents said GPS sends large trucks up the 2.5 ton-limit street from Brook St. or Ames Rd.; trucks have hit street signs about five times this year and two hydrants, damaged yards, and two Amazon tractor-trailers jammed at Brook St. and Mount Ave. for about three hours.
Mount Ave. is a small residential pocket surrounded by industrial land near Higgins St.; a planned truck depot at the former theater site worries neighbors. Polar and Velmoid were praised as neighbors.
Economou asked for earlier warning signs; a speaker suggested signs at the Ararat St. exit ramp (needs MassDOT approval) steering trucks to Higgins St.
Stephen S. Rolle: the street has steep grades and a 90-degree turn; the city works with GPS providers with mixed cooperation; approved supplemental signage further out.

Economou's petition for a truck exclusion on Ararat St. was held earlier because city records and MassDOT records disagreed. That is resolved: the exclusion runs from I-190 to Battle St. (near Holden St.); trucks over 2.5 tons are excluded except for local deliveries.

About 14 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-07-22 - Traffic and Parking Committee	14

2026-08-18 - City Council - Items 20e (Ararat St.) and 20f (Mount Ave.): committee orders adopted 9-0.
2026-07-22 - Traffic and Parking Committee - Mount Ave. signage and Ararat St. exclusion both approved 2-0 after neighbor testimony.