Metro Truck Bans, Truck Routes & Hazmat Tunnels by State
Parkway commercial-vehicle bans, designated truck routes and through-truck bans, and hazmat restrictions in tunnels and on bridges. Where the low-clearance traps and cars-only roads are. Covers all 50 states and DC. Reference only, not legal advice.
12Parkway / road bans
49 CFR 397Hazmat routing
STAANational Network
51Jurisdictions
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The traps
Cars-only roads, low bridges, and hazmat tunnels
Three things keep trucks off certain roads. Parkway bans in the New York metro and Connecticut are cars-only, with stone bridges as low as 7 feet 8 inches. Through-truck bans push you onto a marked truck route unless you have a local stop. Hazmat rules bar placarded loads from many tunnels and steer them onto preferred highways under 49 CFR 397. A car GPS does not know any of this. Run a truck-specific route with your height set, and read the posted signs.
02
By state
Truck bans and hazmat routes for all 50 states and DC
Tap a state for parkway bans, hazmat tunnel and bridge rules, through-truck routes, and the fine.
| State | Parkway ban | Hazmat restriction |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama AL | None | Mobile's I-10 George Wallace Tunnel and the Government Street Bankhead Tunnel both ban placarded hazmat |
| Alaska AK | None | The Anton Anderson |
| Arizona AZ | None | The I-10 Deck Park Tunnel in downtown Phoenix |
| Arkansas AR | None | Little Rock closes part of its downtown Interstate loop to placarded hazmat: I-630 for its whole length, plus the downtown stretch of I-30 between I-440 and I-40, are restricted |
| California CA | Parkway ban | Caldecott Tunnel |
| Colorado CO | None | The Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels on I-70 ban placarded hazmat |
| Connecticut CT | Parkway ban | No notable state tunnel or bridge hazmat ban |
| Delaware DE | None | No state tunnel hazmat ban; Delaware has no highway tunnel |
| District of Columbia DC | Parkway ban | No enforceable state tunnel or zone hazmat ban; placarded loads route around the District on the Capital Beltway |
| Florida FL | None | The Port Miami Tunnel under Biscayne Bay bans placarded hazmat and oversize loads, which reach PortMiami by rail instead; it clears 15 ft |
| Georgia GA | None | Placarded hazmat follows Georgia's designated routes and generally bypasses downtown Atlanta on I-285 rather than the I-75/85 downtown Connector |
| Hawaii HI | None | No confirmed statewide hazmat tunnel ban |
| Idaho ID | None | No metro tunnel or bridge hazmat ban |
| Illinois IL | Parkway ban | Placarded loads follow Illinois designated hazmat routes and default to the Interstates and the beltways around Chicago |
| Indiana IN | None | Placarded loads default to the Interstates and follow Indiana's designated and preferred hazmat routes |
| Iowa IA | None | No hazmat tunnels or bridge bans |
| Kansas KS | None | No hazmat tunnels |
| Kentucky KY | None | Since 2013 Kentucky bans all hazmat on I-75 north of I-275, including the double-decked Brent Spence Bridge into Cincinnati, and routes placarded loads onto I-275 around the metro; the ban sat barely signed for years before new signs went up |
| Louisiana LA | None | Both state highway tunnels ban hazmat: the Harvey Tunnel |
| Maine ME | None | No state tunnel hazmat ban |
| Maryland MD | Parkway ban | Both Baltimore harbor tunnels ban placarded hazmat under COMAR 11 |
| Massachusetts MA | Parkway ban | Boston's Central Artery/Metropolitan Highway System tunnels ban hazmat under 700 CMR 7 |
| Michigan MI | None | The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel bans all placarded hazmat and posts a roughly 12'8" height limit |
| Minnesota MN | Parkway ban | The Lowry Hill Tunnel on I-94 in Minneapolis bans placarded hazmat; those loads must follow signed hazmat truck routes around it |
| Mississippi MS | None | No major hazmat tunnel or bridge ban |
| Missouri MO | None | No state-designated hazmat tunnel or bridge bans, and Missouri lists no designated or restricted hazmat routes in the FMCSA National Registry |
| Montana MT | None | No metro tunnel or bridge hazmat ban |
| Nebraska NE | None | No hazmat tunnels or bridge bans |
| Nevada NV | None | No major state-specific hazmat tunnel or bridge bans in the Las Vegas or Reno metros |
| New Hampshire NH | None | No state tunnel hazmat ban |
| New Jersey NJ | Parkway ban | Into New York, the Holland and Lincoln tunnels ban propane and flammable/hazardous cargo; placarded hazmat crosses on the George Washington Bridge |
| New Mexico NM | None | No enclosed-tunnel ban, but strict radioactive routing |
| New York NY | Parkway ban | Crossing the Hudson, the Holland and Lincoln tunnels ban propane and flammable/hazardous cargo |
| North Carolina NC | Parkway ban | No major state-run tunnel or bridge hazmat ban |
| North Dakota ND | None | No hazmat tunnels or bridge bans |
| Ohio OH | None | Cincinnati's Lytle Tunnel on I-71, the longest tunnel in Ohio at about 1,100 ft, bans placarded hazmat and explosives, and placarded loads on the I-71/75 Brent Spence Bridge corridor are directed onto the I-275 beltway instead |
| Oklahoma OK | None | Placarded hazmat must stay on the Interstates and off downtown Oklahoma City: I-40 between I-44 and I-35 through downtown is closed to hazmat, so you take I-44 |
| Oregon OR | None | No major state-specific hazmat tunnel or bridge ban |
| Pennsylvania PA | Parkway ban | Pittsburgh's tunnels bar placarded loads |
| Rhode Island RI | None | No state tunnel hazmat ban |
| South Carolina SC | None | No state-specific hazmat tunnel or bridge ban |
| South Dakota SD | None | No hazmat tunnels or bridge bans |
| Tennessee TN | None | In Knoxville, non-local placarded hazmat is barred from I-40 through downtown and routed onto the I-640/I-75 bypass; the ban does not apply to loads starting or ending in Knoxville |
| Texas TX | None | Houston's Washburn Tunnel under the Ship Channel bars flammable and hazardous loads and caps LP gas at two 7 |
| Utah UT | None | No enclosed-tunnel hazmat ban in the Salt Lake metro |
| Vermont VT | None | No state tunnel hazmat ban |
| Virginia VA | Parkway ban | Four water-proximate Hampton Roads tunnels restrict hazmat by hazard class under 24VAC30-61-40: the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel |
| Washington WA | None | Seattle's SR 99 tunnel prohibits placarded hazardous materials outright, so flammable and propane loads must take a surface route |
| West Virginia WV | None | Placarded hazmat may not use the Wheeling Tunnel on I-70 in Wheeling |
| Wisconsin WI | None | No state-designated hazmat tunnel or bridge bans in Wisconsin |
| Wyoming WY | None | No metro tunnel hazmat ban |
Sources: state and regional DOTs; MDTA and PANYNJ; FMCSA hazmat routing (49 CFR 397). Last reviewed July 2026. Local bans and clearances change; confirm posted signs and current routes before you rely on a figure.
Truck Route & Hazmat FAQ
Which roads ban trucks?
The best-known bans are the parkways around New York City and in Connecticut: the Southern State, Northern State, Belt, Palisades, Merritt, and Wilbur Cross parkways are cars-only, with low stone-arch bridges that have sheared the roofs off box trucks. Many cities also post through-truck bans that keep trucks with no local stop off residential streets, forcing you onto a designated truck route.
Can I take hazmat through a tunnel?
Often no. The Baltimore Harbor Tunnel (I-895) and Fort McHenry Tunnel (I-95) prohibit most hazmat, and New York's Holland and Lincoln Tunnels restrict it. Federal rules (49 CFR 397) require placarded loads to follow designated hazmat routes and preferred highways, which usually means going around a city on the beltway. Note that Baltimore's Key Bridge, a longtime hazmat route around the tunnels, collapsed in 2024.
What is a designated truck route?
It is the road a local or state authority marks for trucks to use, keeping heavy vehicles on arterials built for them and off weak or residential streets. The National Network under STAA guarantees access for standard trailers on the Interstates and many US routes. Off that network, you follow posted truck-route signs, and a through-truck ban means you may only leave the route for a local pickup or delivery.
What happens if my GPS routes me onto a banned parkway?
A consumer GPS that does not know your height will happily send you under a 7-foot 8-inch parkway bridge. If you enter a cars-only parkway you can be ticketed, turned around, and, if you strike a bridge, held for the damage. Use a truck-specific GPS with your height and weight set, watch the posted low-clearance and no-truck signs, and never trust a car app in the New York metro.
03
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Where trucks are kept out of the left lane, state by state.
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