For generations, the turns at the top of Signal Mountain’s W Road have been the bane of local residents as unsuspecting truckers realize too late that a tractor-trailer can’t possibly manage the three sharp switchbacks that give the road its name.
Now technology is adding to their woes.
Local officials say too many truckers are relying on GPS systems for directions, and the find-the-shortest-route software often steers them straight up the mountain – and into trouble.
“Truckers punch in their destination, and when it tells them that the fastest route is up the W Road, they don’t think anything of it,” said Walden Mayor William Trohanis, whose town lies at the top of the W.
Vehicles travel on the W Road on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015, near Walden, Tenn.Two truckers ran afoul in the past month, and an oversized limo also was unable to make the turn, according to Chattanooga Towing Co. owner Jojo Scott, whose tow trucks often are called to unjam the W. It was the first time this year that two trucks got stuck within a two-week period, Trohanis said.