ROCKY MOUNT -- Franklin County has joined Roanoke County in a request to restrict trucks on a portion of Virginia 116.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday to restrict "tractor truck and trailer or semi-trailer combinations" longer than 28 feet from using Virginia 116.

Buses and recreational vehicles would still be allowed.

Trucks often use the 12-mile, east-west route that stretches from Roanoke County at its intersection with Sunnyvale Street into Burnt Chimney in Franklin County at its intersection with Virginia 122.

A suggested alternative route would take trucks south on U.S. 220 to Rocky Mount. There, truckers can pick up Virginia 40 east to Virginia 122 and get to Virginia 116 from there. The detour is an additional 23 miles.

The resolution is the same as one passed by the Roanoke County board Oct. 13.

As a part of implementing the restriction, both counties had to agree to use their own law officers to enforce it.

Both resolutions, an engineering study and recommendations from local Virginia Department of Transportation officials will be sent to the Commonwealth Transportation Board, Franklin County Senior Planner Aaron Burdick said.

The process should take about nine months, he said, and the state board would approve, deny or modify the request. It also could send the request back to the localities, asking them to reconsider, Burdick said.

The winding road has proven hazardous to trucks. In September, a cattle truck overturned in a sharp curve. Fifty-eight of 88 cattle died as a result of the accident, and traffic was blocked for more than a dozen hours.

In the past year, Roanoke County police have tracked at least 15 accidents on the road.

Both boards request a 28-foot limit on trucks passing through the road, even though a Virginia Department of Transportation engineering study showed trucks up to 48 feet can "adequately navigate" the road.

Supervisor David Hurt said one problem is truckers use GPS systems that lead them to Virginia 116 not knowing the road and whether it can accommodate their trucks.

County resident John Bisnett questioned if weight was more of a factor than the length of the truck.

The length of the truck is easier to enforce than weight, Hurt said.