News Release for March 11, 2008
For More Information:
Dave Bernhardt, MaineDOT Bureau Maintenance and Operations, 624-3600
Mark Latti, MaineDOT Office of Communications, 624-3030

MaineDOT posting weight limits on state roads

Winter is nearing an end, and Maine’s roads are already showing signs of spring, which means a number of Maine’s roads will once again be “posted”. Posting restricts the weight of vehicles allowed over a road, protecting the road from heavy trucks while the substructure of the road thaws and dries out.

“Posting a road extends the life of a road. Preventing heavy loads from traveling over a vulnerable road saves hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in repair,” said Dave Bernhardt, Director, MaineDOT Bureau of Maintenance and Operations.  “Rebuilding a road can cost the state as much as a million dollars per mile.”

Roads are posted to protect them from serious damage. The MaineDOT will post approximately 1,640 miles of road this spring. As temperatures warm and ground thaws, soil under the pavement becomes saturated, making the pavement unstable. Heavy trucks that travel over roads that have a saturated base can cause cracking, potholes, and rutting. Heavy trucks can even break through the surface of a road. State roads are posted by the Maine Department of Transportation, and other roads are posted by municipalities or counties. A posted state road’s maximum weight limit is 23,000 pounds.

For many people, posting roads have little impact. But for many businesses in Maine, restricting trucks to when and where they travel can impact how they conduct business. For a list of roads posted in your county, please visit www.maineDOT.gov and click on the “Posted Road Maps listed by County” link. Maps and other information listed there can help businesses make decisions while roads are posted. The site is updated each day.

For more information concerning posted roads, please contact the MaineDOT Region Office in your area: Region 1, Scarborough, 885-7000; Region 2, Augusta, 624-8200; Region 3, Dixfield, 562-4228; Region 4, Bangor, 941-4500; Region 5, Presque Isle, 764-2060.

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