Clark County to impose seasonal weight limits on roads next week

NEILSVILLE, Wis. (WSAW) - The Clark County Highway Department has announced that pursuant to State Statute 349.16, seasonal weight limits will be posted for Clark County Highways as of March 13.

The weight restrictions are 6 tons gross load per axle and 10 tons gross load for any two axles under 8 feet apart. All vehicles not meeting the seasonal weight posting are required to have a permit. There are no “exempt” products, materials, or industries.

Permits are located on the department website located at www.clarkcountywi.com and may be submitted by email. Permits are reserved for only those loads meeting the criteria. Stay observant for postings.

For many years around the beginning of March, the vast majority of all Wisconsin County Highway Departments have placed seasonal weight limits on county highways. This is the time of the year when the roadways become highly susceptible to damage from the weight of heavy equipment and trucks.

In the spring, the frost thaws and leaves the road base saturated with water. All of the frost in the roadway does not thaw at the same time. Additionally, the sun heats the asphalt to a much higher temperature than the gravel shoulders, and the frost under the asphalt is the first to thaw, which causes moisture to be trapped under the asphalt. That moisture then makes the road base very weak and unable to support heavy hauling traffic.

These restrictions will remain in effect for the duration of the spring thaw until postings are removed. This restriction notice is pertaining to County Trunk Highways.

County highway maintenance and construction is funded by a mixture of state aid, federal aid, and local funds. The current cost to pulverize and pave one mile of road is approximately $200,000. Clark County has approximately 300 miles of County Highways and has limited funding.

Any weight restrictions on State, City, Village, or Town roads are the authority of each individual entity.

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