A truck weigh station on a northern stretch of U.S. 41 in Illinois will operate 24-hour shifts to discourage truckers from avoiding the recent toll rate tripling along the Illinois Turnpike. Additionally, ten signs that say “Trucks Use Right Lane” were installed in April along the heavily residential stretch of U.S. 41 crossing Lake Forest, IL.
The weigh station will utilize a new lane to handle at least 15 semi-trailer trucks at U.S. 41 and Illinois Highway 173 near Wadsworth, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority raised rates along the state’s interstate on January 1. As of January 19, truck traffic along U.S. 41, which parallels the tollway, doubled, Illinois State Police reported.
“With the recent hike in tolls, we expected to see more trucks, but no one anticipated such a dramatic increase,” said Illinois Senator Susan Garrett, who supported the initiatives in a news release.
In light of the possibility that the federal highway bill could pave the way for more tolling of existing interstate lanes, some states are considering weigh stations as a tool to keep trucks off secondary roads.
“There are some plans that the Maryland Transportation Authority is considering to add weigh stations on the eastern shore to curb some of the traffic that typically runs along Route 404 from Delaware into Maryland,” Louis Campion senior vp— Maryland Motor Truck association, told Fleet Owner.
