Seasonal weight restrictions for roads begin Friday.
#OceanaCountyRoadCommission
HART – In an effort to prevent potholes, the Oceana County Road Commission is imposing seasonal weight and speed restrictions on county roads beginning Friday, March 8, at 6 a.m., according to OCRC Managing Director Mark Timmer.
“One of the most common business interactions with a county road agency concerns seasonal weight restrictions – sometimes called ‘frost laws,'” according to the Michigan County Road Association.
“While roads are concrete and asphalt and look indestructible, they can actually be quite fragile in late winter as frost comes out of the ground. Even strong late-winter sunlight on the dark paved surface has a significant impact on a road.
“As frost melts beneath a paved road, the roadbed turns wet and spongy because water is trapped between the pavement and the remaining ice layer beneath. When trucks and heavy equipment travel over a layer of concrete or asphalt that isn’t well supported beneath, lots of permanent cracks can occur.”
For more information, contact the OCRC at 231-873-4226 or visit www.micountyroads.org.
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