Cranbrook will have its seasonal load restrictions in place along its streets as of Mar. 20.
City staff said this change is meant to prevent and minimize damage on the community’s roads as the winter frost thaws.
“When the frost first comes out of the ground, the soils underneath the pavement become very saturated and unstable, quickly leading to significant pavement damage and unsafe road conditions from heavy loads,” said city staff. “We’ve had this occur a few times over the past several years, and we want to be as proactive as possible to protect our roads.”
This means all city streets are limited to 70 per cent of legal axle loading unless specified otherwise, with some select roads reduced to 50 per cent.
Signs will be posted and a map is available at the end of this article.
Some of the community’s streets will continue to accommodate 100 per cent of legal axle loading, which Cranbrook said will help accommodate commercial and industrial deliveries.
The city bases local load restrictions on the Ministry of Transportation and infrastructure’s Road Weather Information System stations that track the region’s frost depth and road strength.
“The City intends to align its streets with the same restrictions, including where heavy loads may be able to access the City from industrial or construction operations outside of City limits,” said ciy officials.
Applications can be submitted for a one-time overload or oversize permit, but it is not meant for continuous industrial use.
More: City Road Load Restrictions Map (City of Cranbrook)