ATHABASCA - As the ground begins to soften and more and more large vehicles and equipment are using Athabasca County roads, the municipality is once again faced with the annual challenge of maintaining its rural road infrastructure and is asking residents and visitors alike to follow the road bans that are now in place.
Athabasca County councillors retroactively approved a motion to put the road bans in place at their April 14 meeting, although the weight restrictions were actually put into place March 27 at 8 a.m.
The county maintains a network of 2,400 km of roads within its boundaries, which serve the needs of both agricultural producers and oilfield companies, two industries that tend to use very heavy equipment which can tear up roads, leading to repairs that must be undertaken by the county.
Road bans can be enforced with hefty fines, but those are usually reserved for the most serious of infractions, and fortunately, there have been few fines issued in recent years.
“Operators using county roads are very understanding and exercise extra caution during spring break-up,” said the county’s director of infrastructure Norm De Wet. “Fortunately, many companies using our roads on a regular basis take some time off during the spring break-up to allow conditions to dry up. Others request permission to haul when the roads are less vulnerable, such as early in the morning or at night.”
Axle weight restrictions of 75 per cent are in place for Range Road 173.3 from Caslan north to the provincial campground; Range Road 174 from Highway 55 south to Highway 855; Range Road 174.6 from highway 663 north to Golden Noddings Acres subdivision; Range Road 225.5 from Township Road 660 north for 400 metres; Highway 2 east 2.5 km to Perryvale; Highway 63 west to Range Road 171.
The 75 per cent restriction also applies to all paved, fibremat and oiled streets in subdivisions and in the hamlets of Atmore, Breynat, Caslan, Colinton, Grassland, Perryvale, Rochester and Wandering River.
That percentage changes to 90 on Township Road 672 from Highway 2 west to Range Road 242; Township Road 665 form Highway 813 west to Pine Grove subdivision; Township Road 660 from Highway 2 west to Range Road 225.5 and east to Landing Trail; Township Road 654 form Highway 2 east to Township Road 652; Township Road 654 from Highway 63 east to Paradise Valley Drive; and Township Road 670 from Highway 2 west to Summer Village of Whispering Hills.
Percentage axle weights are determined using the weight of each axle on a truck and trailer. For instance, on a road with no restrictions in place a tandem tractor pulling a trailer with steering axles of 5,500 kg, a drive axle of 17,000 kg and trailer axles of 24,000 kg. Adding those together, the maximum allowable gross weight of 46,500 kg is determined. If the road had a 75 per cent ban in effect, the steering axle weight would remain the same, but only three-quarters of the drive axle weight and trailer axle weight would be taken into account for the equation, which comes out to 36,250 kg.
More information on road bans can be found at the Athabasca County website and well as the Government of Alberta website.
