Weigh-in-motion technology expands to more Arizona highways

Allows trucks to keep moving while weight, credentials checked

YUMA – Weigh-in-motion technology that allows the Arizona Department of Transportation to check commercial trucks for their weight, permit and registration compliance while the trucks continue moving will be expanded to areas near Yuma and Gila Bend.

Next week ADOT crews will continue installing sensors in the roadway at three locations. Drivers in both directions should expect right lane restrictions and minor delays during the work:

• Interstate 8 at milepost 121, just east of Butterfield Trail in Gila Bend, where work should be completed by Friday, Dec. 15.
• State Route 85 at milepost 130, near Cotton Center, about 10 miles north of Gila Bend, on Monday, Dec. 19.
• I-8 at milepost 16, east of Fortuna Road on Tuesday, Dec. 19, and Wednesday, Dec. 20.

A fourth weigh-in-motion sensor will be installed at milepost 1.8 in central Yuma in January. Lane restrictions and minor delays are expected at all sites while the work is being performed.

Also next week, from Monday through Wednesday, Dec. 18-20, crews will begin installing the second overhead electronic message board in the Yuma area on eastbound I-8 at milepost 0.5, just a half-mile east of the state line.

The project also includes installation of the Yuma area’s first closed-circuit camera that will help traffic operators in Phoenix see Yuma traffic in real time for the first time. Images from that camera eventually will be posted to AZ511.gov.

Weigh-in-motion technology allows officers from ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division to check the weight and registration of trucks without requiring the trucks to stop. Sensors in the roadway check the trucks’ weight and cameras check identification numbers to be sure the truck’s paperwork is in compliance with state requirements.

The camera technology does not measure or record vehicle speed and is not connected with any traffic enforcement for speeding violations.

Most commercial vehicles operate in compliance and will not be required to stop for inspections. That will result in more-efficient weight and truck screening operations, increased safety and less traffic congestion during truck inspection projects. Trucks found to be in violation will be subject to a closer inspection by ECD officers.

There are currently three weigh-in-motion programs in Arizona: Along I-17 near the McGuireville rest area, along I-10 near the Sacaton rest area and on I-17 near the Canoa Ranch rest area.