It’s believed to be the first of it’s kind in the state. A new policy concerning load limits in Daviess County.
The new policy will make more roadways available during the spring freeze and thaw. The policy was explained at the Daviess County Commissioners meeting Monday night held in Montgomery.
During spring thaws, the county usually implements a 10 ton load limit for all county roads to protect them from heavy truck traffic.
Now a business can post a $5000 cash bond per mile to to allow larger loads to travel a road.
The Washington Times Herald http://www.washtimesherald.com/ reports that Commissioner Nathan Gabhart who came up with the idea believes Daviess is the only county in the state trying the solution in order to help small businesses who virtually have to shut down when a 10 ton load limit is in place. Most of the businesses affected are in Barr and Van Buren Townships.
Under the new policy, a business puts up its $5,000 bond and the county keeps an eye on the road during the load limit. If new rock or other materials are needed to fix a road, the money to pay for the work comes out of the bond. After the load limit is lifted, any money left over goes back to the business.
Additionally, the Times Herald reports that the county will be looking at it’s violation policy for those who don’t abide by load limts. Fines are expected to be raised and legal action could be taken against a trucking company and the business it is delivering to.
