The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) is expected to lift weight restrictions for commercial trucks on its non-all-weather roads effective at 6 a.m., Monday, April 8. Imposed March 14, the restrictions will have been in place for 25 days.
Each spring, in accordance with state law, RCOC reduces the weight limits on these roads as temperatures begin to rise and the ground begins to thaw. As the road subsurface thaws, the non-all-weather roads’ ability to carry weight is reduced, meaning that a weight that wouldn’t affect a road under normal conditions, might now damage the road.
“These restrictions help to ensure that roads last as long as possible, with as few potholes as possible,” explained RCOC Chairman Gregory Jamian.
The restrictions do not affect passenger vehicles. Approximately 2,000 of RCOC’s 2,700-plus miles of roads are non-all-weather.
Weight restrictions are enforced by weighmasters employed by RCOC, the state, local communities or the Sheriff’s Department. Violations of the weight restrictions can result in a citation.
A “truck operators’ map” is available from the Road Commission that shows which roads have weight restrictions. The map is available by calling RCOC’s Department of Customer Services, Permits division, at (248) 858-4835 or by visiting the department’s offices at 2420 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford Township (office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. weekdays). The map is also available on RCOC’s website, www.rcocweb.org (in the “Permits” section), and listings of the affected roads are posted on the website as well (link to map: Truck Operators Map).
For a statewide listing of which counties have imposed spring weight restrictions, visit the County Road Association of Michigan (CRA) website, www.micountyroads.org
