County engineer critiques state weight limits order

WASHINGTON — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued an executive order in early April that raised weight limits on road throughout the state, part of an effort to boost agriculture during farm season.

“Unprecedented economic and foreign policy challenges have disrupted the food supply chain and worsened the inflation we are seeing across the country,” Reynolds said in a news release. “But Iowa farmers stand ready to answer the call, as they have always done. This proclamation is intended to help our farmers meet this global challenge by providing regulatory relief for the transportation of crop inputs necessary for a timely and successful planting season.”

Washington County Engineer Jacob Thorius, however, said the order had problems.

“She declared an emergency for the next month to allow 90,000 pound loads on five-axle semis, which is a 10,000 pound increase, about a 12% increase in weight,” he said at a county supervisor meeting. “It’s concerning because it will cause a significant increase in damage to our roads.”

In light of state house and senate legislation considering the similar weight limit changes in the longer term, Thorius said the move would double the industry’s impact on infrastructure.

“This bill that’s being considered would increase it up to 20,000 pounds per axle,” he said. “A 17,000 pound axle does the equivalent of about 0.8 units of damage, whereas the 20,000 pound axle does 1.5 units of damage, about twice, which is a significant increase in damage to our roads and our bridges.”

Thorius said he recognized the need for ramped up planting capabilities, but that weight limit changes were not the way to do it.

“Currently haulers (can) haul up to 96,000 pounds on seven axles, so there’s a way to haul heavier loads legally … which spreads the weight out,” he said. “Roughly 14,000 pounds per axle, which drops that equivalent unit of damage down to about 0.35.”

With those numbers in mind, Thorius said the math didn’t work out.

“Our association does not understand the rationale of why we want to get heavier loads on a smaller truck to do more damage to our road system,” he said. “I get the desire to get crops off to market, but fewer trips at a heavier load is not a better thing, it is actually more detrimental to our system.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com