PHOENIX – A temporary higher weight limit for certain commercial trucks during the current public health situation will expire as of Sunday, July 12, based on guidance from the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

In response to a national emergency declaration, and to align with the temporary increase in truck weights by neighboring states, the Arizona Department of Transportation in early April raised the gross weight limit for commercial vehicles to 90,000 pounds without the need for an overweight permit, up from the normal 80,000 pounds.

The temporary higher weight limit applied to commercial trucks carrying critical supplies and goods.

 For more information, please visit azdot.gov.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has extended through July 30 the temporary higher weight limits for commercial trucks hauling critical supplies and goods during the current public health situation.

In response to a national emergency declaration, and to align with the temporary increase in truck weights by neighboring states, ADOT in early April raised the gross weight limit for commercial vehicles to 90,000 pounds without the need for an overweight permit, up from the normal 80,000 pounds. That temporary measure, previously extended to June 30, will now remain in effect until July 30.

For more information, visit azdot.gov.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has extended through the end of June the temporary higher weight limits for commercial trucks hauling critical supplies and goods during the current public health situation.

In response to a national emergency declaration, and to align with the temporary increase in truck weights by neighboring states, ADOT in early April raised the gross weight limit for commercial vehicles to 90,000 pounds without the need for an overweight permit, up from the normal 80,000 pounds. That temporary measure, previously extended to May 31, will remain in effect until June 30.

The temporary weight limits apply to commercial vehicles that are providing direct assistance to COVID-19 relief efforts as outlined in a federal emergency declaration issued in March. This includes, among other essential items, medical supplies related to the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, supplies necessary for community safety and preventing the spread of COVID-19, and food and household items for emergency restocking of stores.

TUCSON – The Arizona Department of Transportation is beginning a year-long pilot program allowing slightly heavier trucks in one of the state’s key transportation corridors, responding to requests from area leaders to help make commercial traffic more efficient.

Starting Sept. 1, trucks on interstates in the Tucson area and between Tucson and Nogales may receive permits from ADOT allowing them to carry up to 83,000 pounds rather than the current weight limit of 80,000 pounds. The pilot program applies to I-10 between mileposts 232 and 279 in Tucson and Marana, Interstate 19 between Tucson and Nogales, and Business 19 in Nogales.

The reason: Freight containers passing through the Port of Tucson are allowed by railway permits to weigh a maximum of 53,000 pounds, while the truck rigs that haul them usually weigh about 30,000 pounds. Raising the weight limit slightly removes the need to offload some of each container’s contents before it goes on a truck, allowing commerce to flow more freely.

During the pilot program, ADOT will study whether the higher weight limit has an impact on the condition of highways.

“These roadways are Key Commerce Corridors that contribute significantly to Arizona’s economy,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Operating at the speed of business means that ADOT looks for ways to make freight travel as friction-free as possible while safeguarding Arizona’s investment in our highways. We need data to assess the impacts to infrastructure and Arizona businesses.”

“Strengthening our region’s economy and enhancing international trade continue to be key focus areas of my administration,” Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild said. “Mexico is Arizona’s No. 1 international trading partner. We must ensure efficient cross-border connectivity to maintain economic competitiveness with other border states. ADOT’s I-19 Heavier Truck Pilot Program and technical study demonstrate ADOT’s commitment to our shared goal of greater economic prosperity for our state and region, while also ensuring the safety of the traveling public.”

Sharon Bronson, chair of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, said ADOT is recognizing and addressing a competitive need.

“Increasing cargo capacities on interstates 10 and 19 will make southern Arizona more competitive, help attract new commerce, and retain the companies and jobs we have,” Bronson said. “The ADOT Interstate 19 Heavier Truck Pilot Program is a great step in reducing logistics costs for our region’s businesses. The program will also help to clarify the infrastructure impact of trucks carrying fully loaded containers.”

The Port of Tucson is a full-service facility located off I-10 near Kolb Road that serves both the commercial trucking and railroad industries.

“This is a great example of private industry and government working together to make Tucson and southern Arizona more competitive globally, and make importing and exporting more efficient, not only for companies located in southern Arizona, but also within Mexico, our No. 1 trading partner,” said Stefan Baumann, director of business development for the Port of Tucson.

PHOENIX — In an effort to promote a healthy forest, improve commerce and protect the state’s infrastructure following the devastating Wallow Fire, the Arizona Department of Transportation has partnered with the Arizona State Forestry Division and the Eastern Arizona Counties Organization to launch the “Healthy Forest Initiative.”

The recently launched two-year ADOT pilot project allows timber industry trucks to carry additional weight on several state highways in the White Mountains region, including US 60, State Route 77, US 180, State Route 260 and State Route 277.

The higher truck weight limit will greatly enhance the ability of the wood industry to clear forests in the White Mountains and transport wood materials to saw mills, pellet plants and energy-generating plants in Springerville, Show Low and Snowflake, while reducing the risk of further catastrophic forest fires to the region.

“Transportation is critical in connecting communities and is the driving force in expanding our local economies,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “When I learned that our weight restrictions were negatively impacting the logging industry, ADOT joined with the State Forestry Division and ECO to make it a priority to come together and reach a solution quickly.

“This collaborative effort will be a major economic boost to the Eastern Arizona economy, help to reduce the chances of devastating forest fires that have occurred in recent years, and protect our watershed and environment,” said Halikowski.

State Forester Scott Hunt added, “We know that much of our forested land in Arizona is at high risk from catastrophic wildfire, insect and disease outbreaks, habitat loss and watershed degradation. I applaud the work of ADOT, ECO, the Governor’s Forest Health Council and our Forestry Division Staff in working together to develop this transportation project with the intent to accelerate forest management treatments and restore forest health.”

Recently, ECO — which represents Navajo, Apache, Gila, Graham and Greenlee counties - approached ADOT about concerns from the northern Arizona logging industry about weight restrictions on several highways in eastern Arizona, an area subject to recent wildfires.

Previously, trucks were limited to carrying loads of no more than 80,000 pounds on SR 260 from Payson to Eagar, SR 277 from Heber to Snowflake, SR 77 from Snowflake to Show Low, US 60 from Cedar Canyon to the New Mexico state line and US 180 from Springerville to the New Mexico state line.

Under the new agreement, the weight limit has been increased to 90,800 pounds, which will allow the timber industry to more effectively manage the forest recovery efforts by carrying heavier loads.

“I work with a wide variety of government agencies in my job as a county supervisor,” said David Tenney, Navajo County Board of Supervisors, District 4. “In my experience, it is a very rare occasion to find a team of folks who look for ways to say ‘yes’ before they look for ways to say ‘no.’ The team from ADOT stepped up on this pilot project and helped the ECO counties find ways to make it happen.”

Tenney added, “This project is about making things easier on business and making our forest healthier. We heard from our industry partners that they had a disadvantage with their competitors in other states because other states allowed higher weight limits in certain circumstances. We saw their difficulty right away and ADOT did, too. This pilot project is a win-win for industry, the communities and the state.

"ECO provided a proposal for the pilot project, and ADOT staff conducted an extensive pavement and bridge analysis to determine if the highways could stand up to the increased weight loads. Other highways may be added in the future pending further pavement and bridge analyses by ADOT engineers.

Timber haulers interested in the new program can participate by filing an application for a 30-day, $75 per vehicle permit that will allow an unlimited number of loads up to 90,800 pounds on the designated routes. The permit fees collected will be used to offset impacts to these roadways.

The 2011 Wallow Fire burned more than 500,000 acres in Apache County and resulted in millions of dollars of economic loss, countless hours of firefighter service and loss of animal habitat. ADOT suffered more than $2.5 million in damages related to the Wallow Fire, including roadway surface repairs, fence replacements, flooding, sign repairs, hazard tree removal and ditch cleaning.

“We are grateful to the ADOT team and leadership for stepping up to the challenge of restoring Arizona forests to fire resiliency, improving our watersheds and continuing to support economic growth in Eastern Arizona,” said ECO Executive Director Pascal Berlioux. “The ADOT Healthy Forest Initiative is a best-in-class example of state and local governments working at their best and making things happen for the people of Arizona.”

PHOENIX — In an effort to aid recovery efforts from the Wallow Fire, weight limit restrictions on several state highways in forest areas have been temporarily removed effective immediately, due to immediate action taken by the Governor’s Office and the Arizona Department of Transportation.

By suspending certain commercial motor vehicle weight limits up to 80,000 pounds or length restrictions on select highways over the next 180 days, the forest industry can gain access to areas where immediate timber clearing and thinning are required to reduce the fire hazard to the forests and local communities. This will also limit the economic hardship to timber industry-related businesses.

ADOT recently became aware that prescribed weight limits and length restrictions on certain state highways were presenting problems for counties that contain forest areas that have been subject to wildfires.

“While these weight limits have been in place for a very long time to protect state infrastructure, ADOT understands the urgency from the logging industry,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “The leadership of Governor Brewer brought ADOT together with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and the Secretary of State to get an emergency rule approved.”

Prior to the rulemaking, existing state rules placed restrictions on certain commercial motor vehicles on state highways, including state routes 261 (35,000 pounds) and 273 (20,000 pounds) in the White Mountains. By increasing the weight limits, the timber industry can more effectively manage the recovery efforts by carrying heavier loads.

SR 261 is the primary access to an existing 11,000 acre timber clearing and thinning project and a 96,000 acre project is set to begin soon, according to Apache County.

The Wallow Fire burned more than 500,000 acres in Apache County and resulted in millions of dollars of economic loss, countless hours of firefighter service and loss of animal habitat.