It’s almost that time of year again. As temperatures begin to rise, and snow and ice begin to melt, the Department of Transportation and some municipalities will be posting roads. Now is a good time while everything is still frozen to start thinking of prestaging items before the orange signs show up.
Posting a road is a measure used to protect roads by limiting the amount of weight that can legally be transported over it while the road is soft. So, if you have items stored on a known posted road or wanting to move fertilizer over a posted road, now is a good time to start planning on how to move it.
Roads are generally posted when there are several days in a row of above freezing temperatures. Typically, as the roads begin to thaw water will start showing up in the road and shoulders will be soft. Roads can remain posted sometimes until late May. Something to remember is while roads are posted and if the road is frozen then posted road rules are suspended. The definition for “frozen” reads, “A road is considered frozen if the air temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below and no water is showing in the cracks of the road. Alternatively, if the air temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below and there is water showing in the cracks of the highway, the highway will be considered “frozen” if the adjacent gravel driveways, shoulders, or lawns remain frozen”. When a road is posted, the maximum weight limit on that road is 23,000 pounds.
For more information on posted roads in Maine, go to the Maine Department of Transportation website at https://www.maine.gov/mdot/postedroads/ or call the Region office in Presque Isle at 764-2200.