Since Minnesota’s seasonal vehicle weight limit is higher than Interstate 35, logging vehicles are forced to travel through downtown Duluth instead of Interstate 35 every winter; this causes safety concerns as the large logging vehicles navigate their way through snow, pedestrians, and parked cars in downtown Duluth

The lawmakers are calling for a limited waiver to allow logging vehicles up to 99,000 pounds to travel on a short segment of Interstate 35 around Duluth in order to address safety challenges

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, along with Representative Rick Nolan, today called for a provision to allow heavy trucks to stay on the highway as they pass through Duluth to be included in the final transportation bill. Since Minnesota’s seasonal vehicle weight limit is higher than Interstate 35, logging vehicles are forced to travel through downtown Duluth instead of Interstate 35 every winter. This causes safety concerns as the large logging vehicles navigate their way through snow, pedestrians, and parked cars. In a letter to the Surface Transportation Bill Conference Committee, which is responsible for crafting the final version of the recently passed Senate and House surface transportation bills, the lawmakers urged committee members to include a provision to help address this issue in the final bill. The provision would provide a limited waiver that would allow logging vehicles up to 99,000 pounds to travel on a short segment of Interstate 35 around Duluth.

“Passing a long-term transportation bill is critical to our nation’s infrastructure and road safety. It is also an opportunity to fix longtime safety issues, such as the current situation in Duluth,” the lawmakers wrote. “We urge you to support inclusion of this amendment in the final bill so Duluth residents can finally see this public safety issue resolved.”

Klobuchar has long been a leader in efforts to improve transportation safety and infrastructure. She successfully included several key safety provisions in the Senate-passed version of the transportation bill to help combat distracted driving, improve rail safety at blocked highway-rail crossings, and promote teen driver safety. The bill also includes a bipartisan provision to protect driver privacy that she introduced with Senator John Hoeven (R-ND).

During his time in the Senate, Franken has fought for stronger investments in transportation infrastructure in Minnesota and across the country. He’s been pushing for a long-term transportation bill, and in June, he directly pressed Senate transportation leaders for a limited waiver to let logging trucks travel on Interstate 35 instead of through downtown Duluth. Franken has also been a strong advocate for Minnesota’s timber industry, having backed several efforts to support jobs in the industry and help workers. 

Nolan serves as the only Minnesotan on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and helped pass the long-term transportation funding bill through the committee. He introduced and passed the bipartisan amendment to the House transportation bill to permit logging trucks that have been forced onto Superior Street during the winter months to instead use a 24-mile stretch of Highway I-35.

The full text of the letter is below:

Dear Chairman Inhofe, Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member Boxer, and Ranking Member DeFazio:

We write today to ask that you retain House-passed language to address a public safety issue in Duluth, Minnesota as you negotiate the conference report on H.R. 22. Passing a long-term transportation bill is critical to our nation’s infrastructure and road safety. It is also an opportunity to fix longtime safety issues, such as the current situation in Duluth.

Every winter, logging trucks travel through downtown Duluth amid parked cars, pedestrians, and large snowbanks. The trucks go through downtown Duluth, instead of on Interstate 35, because the Minnesota’s seasonal vehicle weight limit is higher than Interstate 35. This presents major safety concerns for the local community.

In the 113th Congress, Senators Klobuchar and Franken introduced S. 2130, the Winter Roads Safety Act of 2014, to provide a limited waiver to allow logging vehicles up to 99,000 pounds to travel on a short segment of Interstate 35 around Duluth. Congressman Nolan introduced the companion bill, H.R. 4115, in the House of Representatives last year, and he offered similar language in a bipartisan amendment during last week’s consideration of H.R. 22 in the House of Representatives. Congressman Nolan’s amendment was adopted by the House by voice vote. In addition to our support, this provision has strong local support from Duluth Mayor Don Ness, the City Council, public safety officials, and area residents.

We urge you to support inclusion of Congressman Nolan’s amendment in the final bill so Duluth residents can finally see this issue resolved. Thank you for your ongoing efforts to pass a bipartisan, long-term transportation bill.

Sincerely,

 

 

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