1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Winter Roads Safety Act of 2014”.
Winter Roads Safety Act of 2014
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to temporarily waive certain vehicle weight limits for covered logging vehicles, and for other purposes.
2. Temporary waiver
In general— During the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on the date on which the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation terminates the seasonal vehicle weight limit increase in the North Zone in accordance with section 169.826 of the Minnesota Statutes, the Secretary of Transportation shall waive, for a covered logging vehicle, the application of any vehicle weight limit established under section 127 of title 23, United States Code.
Inspection requirement— Notwithstanding subsection (a), a waiver described in such subsection may not be granted until the bridges along the road segments described in subsection (c)(4) have been inspected and certified by the Minnesota Department of Transportation to be structurally capable of supporting vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 99,000 pounds.
Defined term— In this section, the term covered logging vehicle means a vehicle that—
is transporting raw or unfinished forest products, including logs, pulpwood, biomass, or wood chips;
has a gross vehicle weight of not more than 99,000 pounds;
has not fewer than 6 axles;
is operating on a segment of—
Interstate Route 35 in Minnesota between mile marker 235.4 and mile marker 259.552; or
Interstate Route 535 in Minnesota between mile marker 0 and mile marker 1.571; and
has obtained the appropriate overweight vehicle permit from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.