Commissioners adopt load limits for county roads

The Daily Inter Lake

The Flathead County commissioners adopted temporary load limits and speed restrictions for many roads in the valley on Monday, as they do every year around this time.

Unlike previous years, though, the road department anticipates issuing fewer permits this year for operators and haulers who want to exceed the load limits.

"In the past, I've written 200 to 300 permits per year so people can do business as usual," Road Superintendent Charlie Johnson said during a meeting with the commissioners last week. "But any load that can be cut back should be, because of damage to the roads."

The load limits range from 350 to 400 pounds per inch of tire width, or about 14,000 to 32,000 pounds per haul, depending on the road and whether the vehicle has a single or tandem axle. The road department has a list of specific roads affected by Monday's action.

Johnson said construction firms, timber haulers and other companies often ask for permits to exceed the limits. It also isn't unusual for them to complain to the commissioners if the permits are denied.

However, the limits are intended to minimize damage to county roads by restricting the amount of weight they have to support during the spring thaw.

"Load limits do minimize damage," Johnson said. "Any money for repairs comes out of our new construction budget - and we're only building about three miles per year. I wish our [older] roads were built to a standard where we didn't need to do this, but they aren't."

Load restrictions are typically in place for about six weeks, he said.