Lower Weight Restrictions on Pennsylvania Bridges a Reality

“It’s going to have a big effect on manufacturing, on the trucking industry.” Implementation of the new weight limits changes will be completed over the next 4-5 months.
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will place new lower weight limits on approximately 1,000 bridges in Allegheny and Beaver Counties. The Liberty Bridge in Pittsburgh, the Elizabeth bridge and the Koppel Bridge in Beaver County, are some of the more notable bridges with new weight limits.

Pennsylvania has nearly 25,000 bridges, averaging 51 years old. PennDOT issued a formula for applying the new weight limits, ” Bridges considered in poor condition will have their weight limit reduced by 10 percent. Bridges with more severe deficiencies or that carry 500 or more trucks per day will get a 20 percent reduction,” according to PennDOT.

PennDOT Secretary Barry Schoch said, “It’s going to have a big effect on manufacturing, on the trucking industry.” Implementation of the new weight limits changes will be completed over the next 4-5 months. For example, with the new weight limit, loaded tractor trailers, dump trucks and cement trucks will be banned from the Liberty bridge.