Saskatchewan economy largely depends on bulk commodity export. With the changes in provincial economy and transportation patterns, there has been a significant increase in truck traffic and increasing demand for primary weight highways in rural Saskatchewan. Depending on truck configurations, typically the gross vehicle weight allowed for primary weight is approximately 15-20% higher than for secondary weight and the payload increase for primary weight is about 24-50%. Many Saskatchewan rural areas are only served by secondary weight highway, which is viewed as a competitive disadvantage. Higher vehicle weight will reduce freight transportation costs however it will also results in faster deterioration to the pavements. Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation conducted a comprehensive review on weight management and developed a new policy framework in 2006. This paper describes the details of the review and policy development, including problem identification, criteria development, costs and haul benefit analysis. The new policy makes the process of designating primary highways rational, transparent, and consistent. The paper also discussed some related difficult policy and technical issues. For teh covering abstract of this conference see ITRD number E216511.
Samenvatting