CLARK COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT SEASONAL WEIGHT RESTRICTIONS​​​

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As of 2/23/2024, Clark County Highway Department does not plan on posting any County highways. Highway Department staff will continue to monitor the frost and moisture conditions under the County highways.

Please continue to monitor this page for any updates. 

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• The weight restrictions are 6 tons gross load per axle and 10 tons gross load for any two axles under 8 feet apart.

• All vehicles not meeting the seasonal weight posting are required to have a permit.

  • There are no “exempt” products, materials, nor industries. 

  • Permits are reserved for only those loads meeting the criteria.

  • Permits can be found under Permits tab on this website.

• This restriction notice is pertaining to County Trunk Highways only. Any weight restrictions on State, City, Village or Town roads are the authority of each individual entity.

• Continue to monitor this page for updated information.

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Every year around the beginning March, for many years, the vast majority of all Wisconsin County Highway Departments has placed seasonal weight limits on county highways. This is the time of the year when the roadway is very susceptible to damage from the weight of heavy equipment and trucks. Clark County works closely with all of the surrounding counties to be consistent on the posting. Seasonal weight limit authorized exemption of loads are reviewed in a consistent process and are limited to perishable and non-devisable loads.

 

Businesses that have been established along the county highway system understandably find this an inconvenience, but the postings are necessary. In the spring the frost thaws and leaves the road base saturated with water. All of the frost in the roadway does not thaw at the same time. Because the sun heats the asphalt to a much higher temperature than the gravel shoulders, the frost under the asphalt is the first to thaw, which causes a trapped moisture situation under the asphalt. Until the gravel shoulders and the in-slope of the road thaw out, the moisture remains trapped, making the road base very weak and thus not able to support heavy hauling traffic. We do not set any certain date to put on or remove the postings. Highways are only posted when the base is wet and the postings are removed as soon as the road base is dry. Checking our website is the best way to remain informed of current road posting status.

 

County highway maintenance and construction is funded by a mixture of state aid, federal aid and local funds. Funds are generated by gas tax, vehicle registration fees, property tax and sales tax. The current cost to pulverize and pave one mile of road is approximately $200,000.00; Clark County has approximately 300 miles of County Highways and has limited funding. Preserving and maintaining the highway to maximize pavement useful life is a necessary task in order to have drivable roads in Clark County.

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