A federal pilot project taking heavy trucks off Maine’s local routes is drawing cheers from residents along the roads the trucks used to travel.
“We’ve been getting hits from people who don’t see trucks anymore and they love it,” said Brian Parke, president of the Maine Motor Transport Association, which set up a Web site to take comments on how the pilot program is working.
On Dec. 16, the federal government agreed that for one year it would expand the federal 100,000-pound gross vehicle weight exemption to additional portions of the Maine Interstate Highway system.
Trucks are limited to 80,000 pounds on most interstate highways across the country.
Before December, trucks in Maine over 80,000 pounds were allowed on a small portion of Interstate 95 and on the state’s turnpike, which serves as part of I-95.
However, once a truck over 80,000 pounds reached Augusta, where the turnpike ends, the truck had to run the rest of a trip to the Canadian border on local highways.
The Maine Department of Transportation is to monitor the pilot program for one year and report its findings to the federal government.
