The Michigan Department of Transportation has lifted seasonal weight restrictions on state roads across the Lower Peninsula. The restrictions were lifted at 6 a.m. Friday. MDOT spokesperson Dan Weingarten tells WSJM News the state and local road agencies will order that loads over a certain weight cannot be taken on some roads during the spring when melting ice underneath the road surfaces leaves them vulnerable.
“The ground remains frozen down, and it melts at the top and then water can penetrate pavement, especially pavement that might be cracked and distressed,” Weingarten said. “Then what you have is pavement floating over saturated soil.”
That’s when the road is susceptible to breaking. Weingarten says the lifting of seasonal weight restrictions is always a sure sign of spring. Some county road agencies may still have restrictions in place on some local roads, but MDOT has lifted them on state roads.
