Spring thaw requires special road protection
IN THE CITY
by Gerry James
Although it’s only the middle of March, we here at the Public Works Department are preparing for the spring thaw.
All of the rain and warm weather in December and January saturated the ground and seeped into cracks in the roadways. When the days really start to warm up later this month and during early April, all that frozen moisture in the ground will start to thaw making our roads very susceptible to damage from heavy loads.
We will be monitoring the condition of our roads for signs of distress anytime the temperature is above freezing. Even sunny days, when it is below freezing, are cause for concern because the pavement absorbs heat from the sun which can cause the base gravel to thaw and soften.
The single most effective way to prevent roadway damage from heavy trucks is to restrict the weight that they are allowed to carry, limit the number of trips they make or limit the time of day that they are allowed to travel over the road. It may even be a combination of these restrictions.
In Presque Isle, on town ways, these restrictions are authorized by City Ordinance, Chapter 47, Restricting Vehicle Weight on Posted Ways. The Public Works Department is responsible for posting and maintaining the bright orange Heavy Loads Limited signs on town ways. The Maine Department of Transportation is responsible for posting of state highways.
There are some limited exemptions from these postings such as two-axle home heating oil delivery trucks, school buses, public utility vehicles providing emergency repairs, highway maintenance vehicles and wreckers towing a disabled vehicle of legal weight from a posted road. These vehicles do not require a permit from the city to operate on posted roads.
Certain other vehicles may be exempted from the weight restrictions on a case-by-case basis at reduced loads. These are typically service vehicles such as bulk milk, grain, grocery trucks, trash removal trucks engaged in normal route pickups, and medical gases trucks.
Operators of these types of vehicles must obtain exemption permits from the Presque Isle Public Works Department for town ways and from the MDOT for state highways. The permit must be carried in the vehicle operating on a posted road.
Vehicles engaged in normal, routine construction, demolition or maintenance, gravel trucks, log trucks, concrete trucks, heavy equipment haulers or debris removal, to name a few, generally will not be granted exemption permits to haul on posted roads.
Applicants for exemption permits must meet several requirements in order to obtain a permit. These requirements may include cash payments or a bond in an amount sufficient to pay for any damage to the road caused by the permittee. Exemption permits for town ways must be obtained from the Presque Isle Public Works Department at 5 Missile St., Presque Isle. Office hours are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please call ahead, 764-2560, to avoid delays or unnecessary trips.
Gerry James is Public Works Director for the city of Presque Isle. He can be reached at 764-2560 or via e-mail at gerryjames@mfx.net.
