The South Dakota Department of Transportation will be posting signs at 21 structures located on and directly adjacent to Interstates 90, 29, 229 and 190 due to a federal requirement. SDDOT says that new signage will be placed by April 30, 2021, to indicate the structures are now posted for Emergency Vehicle weight limits.
Planning & Engineering Division Director Michael Behm says they have reached out to emergency providers in the immediate vicinity of the affected structures to inform them of the new emergency vehicle weight restrictions. He says to ensure emergency vehicles can safely cross structures, the SDDOT and local government bridge owners use posting signs specifically tailored for emergency vehicles. Adhering to the limits on the posting sign will help prevent structure damage and ensure the safety of the traveling public. The signs to be installed will display the maximum weight allowed for emergency vehicles for single axles, tandem axles and gross weight.
These postings apply only to emergency vehicles. Other vehicle classifications must still obey all state and federal weight requirements.
Photo credit South Dakota Department of Transportation.
Photo credit South Dakota Department of Transportation.
The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act requires all states to review structural capacity for very large vehicles which are used under emergency situations to transport personnel and equipment to support the suppression of fires and mitigation of other hazardous situations.
The SDDOT is responsible for the analysis, rating, overload analysis, and oversight for condition inspection for 1800 structures on the State Trunk System. Monitoring and controlling vehicle weight limits is critical to maintaining a safe and efficient system.
In addition, SDDOT provides technical design guidance and construction engineering support services for the approximately 4000 bridges that are located on the local government systems in South Dakota.
Read more about the innovative work of the SDDOT at https://dot.sd.gov.
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