The road bans are quietly coming to a street near you. The first of the annual spring road restrictions was announced by the City of Prince George, taking effect Friday. Several municipal roads now have limits of 100 per cent legal axle loading (the maximum allowable weight for the rig's axle configuration) but many were cut to 70 per cent and even some to 50 per cent.
It won't be long, provincial officials said, and all local roads and highways will follow. The Ministry of Transportation's district highways manager Ron Marshall said the measures are to protect the highway infrastructure from pot holes, frost heaves and general breakage during the spring period when the road base is soft from melting frost and rushing water.
Typically, main highways usually hold firm at 100 per cent of legal axle loading (as opposed to the occasional overweight load transported with a special permit), but paved side roads and gravel roads can be restricted to 70 per cent of legal axle loading and gravel or seal-coated roads can get down to 50 per cent.
"We have frost probes in the ground all over the district, and we can read those remotely on computers back at our office," said Marshall. "They tell us how much frost is in the ground. [Applying road bans is] not just a guess on our part, there is some science behind it."
The restrictions are only on during the wet period of spring. When road beds and surfaces firm up again upon drying out, the restrictions are lifted.
Commuter vehicles and light industrial travellers are usually not affected by the weight restrictions, but heavy industrial traffic must plan their activities accordingly or risk prosecution. For a complete list of road bans, visit the City of Prince George website.
