A nyone who has driven the backroads in Jefferson County knows that the sometimes-dusty byways are not in great shape, and that it is a constant struggle for the county to take the limited resources it has and keep as many of those roads passable as possible.
Just recently, County Judge Gerald Robinson, whose job it is to oversee the upkeep of those roads, reduced the weight limit that truckers can carry from 85,000 pounds to 68,000 pounds. He based that decision on the premise that truckers leave state highways and shortcut their way over county roads, thereby doing damage to those roads.
His logic seems sound. We recall when the weight limits on interstates rose to 80,000 pounds years ago, and it was no small decision. The balancing act involved the additional strain on roads and bridges with the increase in commerce from the additional weight. The added weight won out. But the highways do suffer for it.
Even now, it’s something of a head-scratcher that, up to the present, any heavily laden truck was allowed to travel on county roads — roads that get a lot less travel than interstates and state highways and that are not constructed to the same standards as those arteries.
As Robinson put it: “The road construction of a county road is not the same as a state highway. We don’t have the same base. We don’t have the foundation for a road to handle that type of weight.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
In that light, Robinson’s move would seem to be something he needed to do but one that will irritate the truck drivers who are inconvenienced by either not cutting through Jefferson County or not carrying the full tilt of cargo.
That irritation did not seem to bother him.
Because of the damage, Robinson said he was forced to make a decision.
“(A)nd the decision is to honor the constituents who are voting for me, who are supporting me, who are living in Jefferson County, as opposed to loggers who are outside of this county who can take the state highways to get where they need to go.”
The move got some pushback from a justice of the peace who said the judge couldn’t make the weight-change move on his own. Robinson thought otherwise and took action. If the justice of the peace wants to press the issue, the matter can head to court and add to the snarl once known as a smoothly run county government.
Barring that, the county tax dollar will go a bit further in keeping the roads in good shape now that they won’t get such a daily pounding.