Michigan’s Heavy Trucks Blamed for Ailing Roads

Critics of Gov. Rick Snyder’s call for more money to fix Michigan’s ailing roads and bridges are pointing to the state’s highway weight limit as the problem.

The Detroit Free Press reports that Michigan has the highest maximum truck weight in the nation at 164,000 pounds. In his third State of the State address last week, Gov. Snyder asked lawmakers for an additional $1.2 billion a year to fund Michigan’s transportation system.

Chief Operations Officer for the Michigan Department of Transportation Gregory Johnson tells the Free Press that Michigan’s requirement that heavier trucks ride on more axles actually reduces the impact on the state’s roads.

But Johnson says “there is no doubt there is an incremental cost” for building roads designed “for heavier loads.”