PORTLAND (AP) — The full U.S. Senate has approved a one-year experiment that calls for lifting federal truck weight limits in Maine.
The pilot project would exempt Maine’s federal interstates from the 80,000-pound federal truck weight limit, and provide an opportunity to assess the impact on safety, commerce and road wear and tear.
Maine’s congressional delegation has been working since 1994 to change a law which forces northbound trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds off Interstate 95 in Augusta. That’s forced heavy trucks traveling I-95 to Houlton onto smaller, secondary roads that pass through cities, towns and villages.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, sponsor of the proposal, says the existing rules harm commerce. The details will be sorted out by a House-Senate conference committee.
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