Last updated on 2011.05.21
Interstate 29 between Colman and Brookings is under construction. Overwidth trucks are being detoured all the way west on Highway 34 to Madison, then up US 81 to SD 14, where wide-loaders may choose to swing back to Brookings or just keep heading straight north to Watertown.
The width restriction (if I'm remembering the signs correctly) is for trucks wider then 11'. The detour sends the trucks through the center of Madison, where the lanes are 10'.
I have thought about that also. I don't understand why they did not route them through the bypass. Where there are wider roads.
I could be wrong here, but I believe trucks, even the ones carrying over-dimensional loads, are routed through Madison because the state issues the permits for state roads only, not local roads, which is what the bypass is. Washington Avenue and 2nd Street are actually state routes. I believe the City of Madison has little to say about it.
I think you're right on that, Jim! I seem to recall last year or maybe year before some discussion on that topic arose when a truck carrying a big wind turbine blade got hung up trying to make the turn north into town on 34 by Prostrollo's. The bypass wasn't actually designated by the state as a bypass, so trucks couldn't take it. That appears to still be the case.
I am not so sure it is a case of trucks not being able to use the bypass, but more the permitting agency and/or trucking company not checking the route to make sure it has proper clearances. The turn from 34 north onto Washington does not really allow for tractor trailers to safely make the turn. What was worse was trucks trying to go south on Washington off of 2nd Street, which is why the curb was cutback on the sw corner of the intersection.
The truckers are allowed to use the bypass. It was changed last year so they would not have to go through town. Not sure why the drivers are not being told this when getting the permit.
Darwin-unless the procedure has changed, the state of South Dakota issues the permit for state routes only, and the bypass does not qualify. The permit is very specific and any unauthorized detour is frowned upon. A permitee can contact a city or county and request permission to travel on certain city or county roads, but in my experience neither entity knows for sure how to go about issuing the permission, and nothing gets done.
Jim, this issue did go in front of the City Commission about a year ago due to all the long loads that could not make the turns on Washington and 2nd St. I believe the SDHP (state) was advised and future permits would allow the use of the bypass. Maybe it was only temporary or the state is not passing the info on to the drivers.
The state passes the info to the drivers by listing, in order, which roads they must travel when they issue an over-dimensional permit.
Maybe the driver needs to request the route specifically state the use of the bypass, but again, that is not a state route, and it is hard for the state to issue a permit for a road it really does not have the authority to do so for.