Weight restrictions on roads begin Wednesday

MAT-SU — Recent warm, sunny weather has prompted the implementation of weight restrictions on Mat-Su Borough roads beginning Wednesday.

“Some paved roads are already seeping water through cracks indicating the frost under the road is dissipating rapidly. Once thawed, the roadbed will be unable to support heavy traffic for several weeks,” says the borough’s director of Public Works, Terry Dolan, in a press release announcing the load limits.

Residents and commercial operators should expect seasonal weight restrictions of 50 percent axle loading to begin on or before April 9 in the southern portion of the borough with additional restrictions being added in the north as the warm temperatures move north.

For more information, call the Public Works Road Hotline at 861-7753.

Specific areas under weight restrictions include the core area extending to the Little Su Bridge on the Parks Highway and to the Granite Creek Bridge on the Glenn Highway. City-maintained roads in Houston, Palmer and Wasilla may also have restrictions. Check the cities for information.

For more information, visit dot.alaska.gov/mscve.

Northern areas beyond Little Su Bridge on the Parks Highway and beyond Granite Creek Bridge on the Glenn Highway are scheduled for load limits beginning April 14.

Further emergency restrictions will be advertised in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman and posted on the borough website.