MN Winter Load Increase & Spring Load Restrictions

SEASONAL LOAD LIMIT NOTIFICATION

Date:               February 28, 2012

Subject:           ENDING DATE for Winter Load Increases in the METRO and SOUTH FROST ZONES.  STARTING DATE for Spring Load Restrictions in the SOUTHEAST and METRO FROST ZONES

POSTING UPDATE

The ENDING DATE of Winter Load Increases on all highways including Interstate highways in the METRO and SOUTH FROST ZONES will be Monday, March 5, 2012 at 12:01 AM.

Winter Load Increases have already ended in the SOUTHEAST FROST ZONE.

The STARTING DATE of Spring Load Restrictions on all highways in the SOUTHEAST and METRO FROST ZONES will be Monday, March 5, 2012 at 12:01 AM.

Winter Load Increases remain in effect in the CENTRAL, NORTH-CENTRAL, and NORTH FROST ZONES.

Existing overweight permits are still in effect in the SOUTH FROST ZONE.

Road Restriction maps indicating the locations of weight restricted routes and those state highways open to maximum ten-ton axle weights are listed on the MnDOT Seasonal Load Limits website at www.dot.state.mn.us/materials. Click on “Seasonal Load Limits,” then click on “Spring Load Restrictions (SLR).” Also available is a text list of the restricted segments along with exceptions to the map.

OVERWEIGHT PERMITS

No overweight permits are issued during the Spring Load Restriction period.  Middle-range overweight permits become available within each frost zone when Spring Load Restriction is lifted.  Full-summer overweight permits become available within each frost zone starting two to three weeks after Spring Load Restrictions are lifted. 

For questions about enforcement call:
Minnesota Department of Public Safety
State Patrol - Commercial Vehicle Enforcement
(651) 405-6196

For questions about over legal weight/size "heavy haul" trucking call:
Minnesota Department of Transportation
Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations - Oversize/Weight Permits
(651) 296-6000

The ending dates for Spring Load Restrictions are based on how weather is affecting roadway strength.  These dates are established by monitoring roadway strength as weather conditions change.  Therefore, the ending dates for Spring Load Restrictions are variable.

Note that the ending date of the Winter Load Increases is NOT directly tied to the start of Spring Load Restrictions, ALTHOUGH they COULD be the same date.

All changes are made with a minimum three-day notice.

As soon as a date is set, MnDOT will report this date on its 24-hour automated message center at 1‑800‑723‑6543 for the USA and Canada, and locally at 651‑366‑5400 for the Minneapolis/St Paul area. This information is also published on the MnDOT Seasonal Load Limits website: www.dot.state.mn.us/materials.