Wisconsin DOT Announces Frozen Road Declaration
Another sure sign of this season's late winter arrival is Wisconsin's "frozen road law" finally going into effect. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced that for Zones 1 and 2 (roughly US Hwy 10 in Stevens Point and northward), or approximately the northern one-half of the state, the frozen road determination has been made. For comparison, last winter Wisconsin's declaration, designed to protect the states's investments in roads, went into effect on December 21. The affected roads in the state include US 10 near Stevens Point along with numbered state and federal highways north of there. The frozen road declarations do not apply to county or local roads unless authorized by the local agency having maintenance authority.
The frozen road law allows heavier loads for trucks carrying logs (cut crosswise, and excluding woodchips), or salt and sand for maintaining roads in winter. When roads are frozen, these trucks can carry up to 98,000 pounds on vehicles with a minimum of five axles. Special permits are not required but the vehicles must be licensed at 80,000 pounds to handle the increased weights allowed by the frozen road declaration.