Beginning on April 3, seasonal weight restrictions will go into effect for vehicles traveling on Kenai Peninsula Borough Roads.
According to the announcement sent out by the borough, weight restrictions are defined as the percentage of legal allowable weight and is applied to the maximum axle loading per state guideline 17 AAC 25.013(e).
All Borough-maintained gravel roads in the Kenai Peninsula Borough Road Service Area will have a weight restriction of 50% of the maximum axel load. All Borough-maintained paved roads will have a weight restriction of 75%.
KPB Road Service Area Director of Roads, Scott Griebel, says the restrictions protect roads that are more susceptible to damage this time of year. “The main reason is to protect the integrity of the road. There might be a frost layer still down deep, and the road will start pumping and floating with heavy traffic, and you can pretty easily blow out a heavy truck.”
According to Griebel, overloading roads during the Spring thaw can have some pretty significant negative impacts. “On the top of a road, there’s an 18-24 inch layer of gravel, but below that might be soil sediments that are more organic material based. And if that’s still frozen, or as it freezes, there’s movement in that layer like jelly almost and a heavy truck, if you put that on there and you watch it as it rolls by, you’ll see a wave form with that weight that’s pushing down on the road, and too much of that traffic will kind of just pop the road and just blow it out, make a big mud hole.
The announcement says additional restrictions and modifications may be imposed as necessary, and also notes that “persons or entities using the right-of-way in a manner causing
damage are liable to the borough for the cost of repair and subject to a fine set forth in KPB.”
Applications for a weight restriction waiver may be obtained at the Road Service Area office at 47140 E. Poppy Lane, Soldotna.
For any questions, please call (907) 262-4427 or email Roads@kpb.us.