Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties

Road weight restrictions begin today in Michigan

The Michigan Department of Transportation and local agencies are today enacting annual spring weight restrictions to protect roads.

Effective 6 a.m., weight restrictions were imposed and will be enforced on all state trunkline highways from the Michigan-Indiana and Michigan-Ohio state lines north to, and including, the Mackinac Bridge.

State routes typically carry M, I or US designations.

In the restricted areas, the following will apply:

—On routes designated as “all-season” (designated in green and gold on the MDOT Truck Operators Map), there will be no reduction in legal axle weights.

—On routes designated as “seasonal” (designated in solid or dashed red on the MDOT Truck Operators Map), there will be a posted weight reduction of 25 percent for rigid (concrete) pavements and 35 percent for flexible (asphalt) pavements.

All extended permits will be valid for oversized loads in the weight-restricted area on the restricted routes. Single-trip permits will not be issued for any overweight loads or loads exceeding 14 feet in width, 11 axles and 150 feet in overall length on the restricted routes.

County road commissions and city public works departments put in place their own seasonal weight restrictions, which usually, but not always, coincide with state highway weight restrictions.

Signs are generally posted to indicate which routes have weight restrictions in effect.

For weight restriction information and updates, call 800-787-8960, or access information on MDOT’s website at http://www.michigan.gov/truckers, under “Restrictions.” All-season routes are designated in green and gold on the MDOT Truck Operators Map, available online.