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Minister of Transportation Wayne Drysdale |
Farmers are getting the green light to move their bumper crops to market this spring thanks to the easing of seasonal weight restrictions on some Alberta highways.
Permits are available, at no cost, for grain trucks to travel at 100 per cent axle weight on banned roads, as long as these roads are not damaged in the process. This is a common-sense approach to allow a limited amount of traffic on our road system for the short-term while preserving our infrastructure for your long-term use.
The special permits are in effect from April 1 to June 30, 2014, and they are required so Alberta Transportation can monitor the activity on our roads. Road conditions will be monitored during that time and alternate travel routes will be suggested, if necessary, to keep motorists safe and protect highway infrastructure.
Extended hours are available for farmers to get a permit request form by calling Alberta Transportation’s Central Permit Office toll free at 1-800-662-7138 from 6 a.m. to midnight on weekdays, and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends and statutory holidays. Farmers will need to complete the form by providing information on the trip’s origin, destination, route, trucks covered, weights requested, number of loads and contact information. This form can be sent back to the Central Permit Office by fax at 403-340-5278 or scanned and emailed to central.permits@gov.ab.ca.
Despite the extended hours to request a permit, Alberta Transportation advises that the call volume throughout permitting season is especially high. You’re encouraged to be patient as you wait to speak to a department official. In 2013, approximately 200,000 permits were issued for all truck travel throughout the province. Producers will need to contact their local municipality directly if they require a permit to haul grain on municipal roads.
Agriculture is at the core of our province’s economy. The 2013 western Canadian harvest has produced an estimated 75.9 million metric tonnes of major grain crops, nearly 40 per cent more than the five-year average. The Alberta government is proud to be supporting farmers and relaxing the road ban limits at a time when producers need that flexibility.
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