Spring Weight Restrictions (SWR) forbid heavy trucks to run on some low-
level roads during the spring thaw period. There has been long dispute between
trucking industry and road agencies on the effectiveness of this policy. Previous
studies showed inconsistent results on this issue. This paper consistently estimates the
benefits and costs of the SWR policy in Lyon County, Minnesota. A freight demand
model was built to simulate truck flow on the road network. A pavement performance
model estimates pavement life in terms of rutting failure based on the traffic provided
by freight demand model. The analysis shows that the benefits of SWR to local
agencies are exceeded by the costs to truckers, which suggests lifting these seasonal
restrictions on 7 and 9-ton roads.
Key words:
Spring Weight Restrictions, Spring Load Restrictions, Benefit/Cost Analysis,
EMME/2, Freight Demand Model, Pavement Performance Model, Freight Economics,
Truck Weight Restrictions
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