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Nothing makes the welcome approach of spring more real than when roads are posted.
Lubec will post some roads for a max weight of 23,000 pounds on Monday, March 2, which is later than many years in the past because this winter has been so cold.
There's good reason for this annual custom, which is to keep heavy vehicles off of roads where their weight could cause excessive damage.
Posted roads can be an inconvenience, but some of the highest dollar value warrant articles that will be considered at annual town meetings this month are for road and bridge maintenance and repair, so it makes sense to ensure our roads aren't unnecessarily abused.
If you're wondering what roads are posted in your town, the Maine Department of Transportation has a great site that lists and maps posted roads. The site also has some interesting historical information on what roads were posted when and at what limit, too. Check it out: Posted Roads | Maine Department of Transportation.
For instance, in 2016, Steuben posted its roads on Feb. 29 — a little sooner than we're seeing this year, but not by much.
Fortunately, state law allows vehicles carrying home heating fuel or organic bedding material for animals to drive on posted roads, provided they have a MDOT permit or specific permission from a municipal official. Fines for driving an overweight vehicle on a posted road can be up to $250.
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