OXFORD – Selectmen hope truckers have accepted the town’s decision to post its roads each spring.

Thursday’s vote to ban heavy truck traffic on town roads from March 8 through May 15 marks the second year for postings.

Most neighboring towns routinely post their roads in spring, not wanting the heavy vehicles to break down the pavement during spring thaw.

Until last year, the town of Oxford had never posted its roads. But after several years of investing heavily in road improvement projects, selectmen decided they had no choice but to protect the investment.

Still, there were many complaints last year from local contractors and others who said they could not conduct business unless they could travel over a certain section of road. Exceptions were made on a case-by-case basis, and the same will hold true this spring, Town Manager Michael Huston said.

“There were some hardships, as there undoubtedly are in every community that posts roads,” Huston wrote in a memo to selectmen. “Given the substantial investment that the town of Oxford has made during the past two years in its roads, I strongly urge that the board once again pass an order permitting road posting.”

Road Foreman Steve Brown said the posting “is a no-win situation” for either the town or the truckers. He said “there’s trucks on every road” conducting business daily in town.

In other business, selectmen agreed to formally ask the Maine Department of Transportation to include planned projects on Route 26 and the causeway north of Thompson Lake.

Funding for the projects is expected to be included in MDOT’s Biennial Transportation Improvement Program beginning July 1, 2005.

The Route 26 improvements include repaving and shoulder improvements the entire length through the town. Also, turn lanes would be installed near the Oxford Plains Speedway, and the corner of Roller Rink Road and Route 26 would be realigned to improve sight lines.

Selectmen tabled a decision on whether to buy a street sweeper. The town spends more than $5,000 a year hiring out the work, done in late spring. After that, the highway crew has to do whatever is left using a front-end broom, Huston said.

Owning a sweeper would allow the town to do roads, sidewalks and parking lots at the town’s convenience, and probably get more done, Huston said.

Selectmen decided more research needed to be done on costs.

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