Seasonal Weight Restrictions Go Into Effect for Some West Michigan Counties
As the weather begins to grow warmer, the risk of potholes becomes evident. Living in Michigan, we know that the potholes worsen in the wintertime, but unless you’re a part of the trucking industry, you may not know that it’s actually the thaw from winter into spring that creates the biggest pothole concern.
And with pothole season coming in hot, some West Michigan counties have begun to enforce weight restrictions to better protect our roadways. Calhoun, Barry, Branch, Ionia, Kalamazoo, Kent, and Ottawa counties are all enforcing this seasonal weight restriction beginning March 1. Allegan and Berrien counties are scheduled to follow on Friday, March 4.
These weight restrictions only apply to multiple-axle vehicles to help reduce the weight of normal legal loads but also reduce the speed for certain vehicles.
On routes designated as “All Season Routes” (green or gold on the MDOT Truck Operators Map) there will be no reduction in legal axle weight.
But on routes designated as “Seasonal” (solid or dashed red on the MDOT Truck Operators Map)
There will be a weight reduction of 25% for rigid pavements and 35% for flexible pavements. More details about the seasonal weight restrictions and their effect on axle loading and speed limits can be found at this link.
Note that there are some limited classes that are exempt from these weight restrictions, but you have to file a permit first. Permits can be found on this website.
For spring weight restriction bulletins from MDOT on the Trunkline System, click here.
For MDOT’s information resource for commercial trucking, click here.
Logan graduated from Ferris State University with a bachelor’s degree in music & entertainment business. He loves the wintertime because he loves the snow and he takes pride in his snowboarding skills. Logan is a huge Red Wings fan and tries to watch every single game.
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