This winter season's longer-than-normal warm temperatures delayed an important date for people hauling heavy loads on state roads, but the cold weather has come. That cold weather means Wisconsin's Frozen Road Law is in effect, beginning 1/15/2015.
The DOT's Mike Sproul says the area includes US 8 along with numbered state and federal highways north of US 8..
"...starting Friday, the folks will be able to haul larger loads instead of the standard 80,000 pound max, some trucks hauling certain commodities such as raw forest products such as salt and sand for road maintenance can haul up to 98,000 pounds without getting a special permit...."
Sproul says they have a way to determine if frost has gone into the ground enough...
"....we have frost tubes scattered around the state. They're tubes filled with liquid that go into the ground. They will freeze and there's a little ball that floats at the freezing line and it will show us how far down the depth is, We wait until we have a frost depth of 18 inches in a zone before we will declare it...."
South of U.S. 8, Sproul says, they're thinking those roads will go under the Frozen Road Law within a few days. County and town roads are not included and are subject to local laws.
