Post by sunshine on Jul 30, 2010 18:45:26 GMT -5
Pawtucket bridge nets $6.9 million in fines from trucks
Police are still stopping 417 trucks per month in violation of the state of Rhode Island’s weight restriction on an Interstate 95 bridge over the Pawtucket River.
According to recent reports from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, more than 20,500 trucks have been stopped since November 2007, resulting in $6.9 million in fines.
The question continues to be: Why do truckers keep crossing the Pawtucket River Bridge?
Some truckers have told Land Line that the restriction is not clearly marked, but others swear that the restriction is clear and they navigate the detours just fine. A Rhode Island DOT spokesman assured us last year that the posting is clear.
Still, law enforcement officers stop 417 trucks per month. That average is actually down from the 1,023 trucks per month that law enforcement stopped during the first six months of the 2008 restriction.
An officer was recently quoted in the Providence Journal saying truckers tell him that their cell phones or navigational devices do not show the detours. Other truckers press their luck or have other excuses, the officer said. He told the paper he has stopped the same trucks more than once.
RIDOT set a weight limit on the bridge of 22 tons in November 2007, but strengthened the restriction to 18 tons in 2008. Most fines amount to $85 for the truck driver and $3,000 for the motor carrier for weight and axle violations.
Click here to view detour routes provided by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.
www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2010/July10/072610/072910-03.htm
Police are still stopping 417 trucks per month in violation of the state of Rhode Island’s weight restriction on an Interstate 95 bridge over the Pawtucket River.
According to recent reports from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, more than 20,500 trucks have been stopped since November 2007, resulting in $6.9 million in fines.
The question continues to be: Why do truckers keep crossing the Pawtucket River Bridge?
Some truckers have told Land Line that the restriction is not clearly marked, but others swear that the restriction is clear and they navigate the detours just fine. A Rhode Island DOT spokesman assured us last year that the posting is clear.
Still, law enforcement officers stop 417 trucks per month. That average is actually down from the 1,023 trucks per month that law enforcement stopped during the first six months of the 2008 restriction.
An officer was recently quoted in the Providence Journal saying truckers tell him that their cell phones or navigational devices do not show the detours. Other truckers press their luck or have other excuses, the officer said. He told the paper he has stopped the same trucks more than once.
RIDOT set a weight limit on the bridge of 22 tons in November 2007, but strengthened the restriction to 18 tons in 2008. Most fines amount to $85 for the truck driver and $3,000 for the motor carrier for weight and axle violations.
Click here to view detour routes provided by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.
www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2010/July10/072610/072910-03.htm