House votes to save right-of-way for heavy Wisconsin trucks

Under federal law, trucks weighing 80,000 pounds or more cannot use federal roadways. But if that standard were followed, heavy trucks that now use Route 41 would have to use local roadways, which the bill’s supporters believe would pose a safety risk to residents.

{mosads}Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.), the bill’s main sponsor, added that the road is a vital part of the local economy, and cannot be blocked for these trucks without causing harm. Last month, Petri said the road is the main road between Milwaukee to Green Bay, and that nearly one-quarter of the state’s businesses are located on that road.

“What we’re saying is simply if you can operate now, you can operate in the future,” he said last month. “We aren’t looking to create any exemptions or change truck size and weight limits, but this is a matter of being fair and realistic.”

The House also passed two other bills by voice vote on Monday afternoon:

— H.R. 697, the Three Kids Mine Remediation and Reclamation Act, designating land to a redevelopment agency in Henderson, Nevada, and

— H.R. 1411, the California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act, which would add land in California to the National Landscape Conservation System.