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BRIDGES A PROBLEM FOR HEAVY COAL TRUCKS - "Someone Is Going To Have To Pony Up Some Money" |
| (07/03/2003) |
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120,000-pound coal trucks are likely to be approved to run on 1,700 miles of selected West Virginia roads. Originally,
larger state roads and interstates had 80,000-pound limits, and smaller roads had weight limits of 65,000 pounds. However,
authorities have not enforced the weight limits for years, and trucks often hauled well over 150,000 pounds. Dozens of southern West Virginia families complained about deaths by overloaded coal trucks. One family member videotaped hours of coal trucks running down the highway, left of center on narrow roads. Fred VanKirk, DOH commissioner, says the 15-county system has more than 600 bridges. Most cannot handle the heavier coal trucks. He said some of them are likely to collapse. VanKirk questioned what the state should do about bridges on the system but are not capable of handling the heavier trucks. Roadways approved in this region include Clay County with 62.53 miles. This includes 11 miles of W.Va. 4 between junctions with W.Va. 16 and more than 11 miles of W.Va. 16 from W.Va. 4 to the Calhoun County line. "Someone is going to have to pony up some money. Quite frankly, there will have to be some negotiations with the coal industry. There is no money in the Division of Highways' budget to repair these roads or bridges," he said. The increased weight bill called for a small amount of tax on the coal industry for road upgrades. Delegate Mike Caputo, D-Marion, said he doubts the coal industry will come up with money to repair or replace bridges that can't safely carry the heavier trucks. "Their track record of helping the communities in which they do business isn't very good," he said.
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