By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
MONROE — Local officials say they support a bill that would cap the size and weight limit of tractor-trailers using the National Highway System, which includes the N.J. Turnpike.
The Township Council passed a resolution in support of the Safe Truck Operations and Preservation Act at its Aug. 25 meeting, saying that oversized rigs coming from the N.J. Turnpike can have a damaging effect on township infrastructure.
The bill, which was sponsored by U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and U.S Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.), was introduced to the Senate on May 15 and in the House of Representatives on Oct. 23, 2007.
The bill would amend Titles 23 and 49 of the United States Code, which prohibit states from making laws that ban these trucks from national highways, unless the trucks were in operation on or before June 1, 2003.
The bill would cap the truck length to 53 feet and weight to 40 tons.
Township Council President Gerald Tamburro said the bill is essential for places like New Jersey.
Adding oversized trucks to the high population density of the northeastern states, coupled with narrow roads and interstate travel is dangerous, he said.
“The trucking industry wants longer trucks,” he said. “They get more money with less equipment on the road. The increase in weight and length will only make it more hazardous.”
There are some current restrictions on where tractor-trailers can travel through the township, but local officials are saying that those regulations are not always enough.
“Within the township certain roads have limits,” said Township Engineer Ernie Feist. “You typically run into weight limits when they cross the bridge.”
Eighteen-wheelers are permitted on county roads, but cannot travel on township streets unless they have to make a delivery.
Even average-sized tractor- trailer can, in certain instances, be a nuisance for township officials, he said.
“At several of our intersections we receive repeated damage to signal arms and signal poles,” he said. “It’s monthly or every other month they’re damaged. That seems to be due to the length of the trailer.”
Intersections like those located at Forsgate and Rossmoor drives, and at Applegarth and Prospect Plains roads, appear to be some of the more affected areas, Mr. Feist said.
Redesigning these intersections presents a problem as many of the roads date back more than 100 years, when a lot of structures were built close to the roadways and cannot be relocated, he said.
But it’s not just the signal lights and trailer lengths that township officials are concerned with, as a weight limit for these rigs may also bring relief to the local roadways.
“Over time it damages the road surface itself,” Mr. Feist said of heavy trucks. “Heavy loads can cause wear and tear.”
Monroe, like many of its neighboring towns, is located next to N.J. Turnpike Exit 8A, which is used heavily by trucks heading to warehouse and industrial districts.
“Cranbury and South Brunswick have industrial parks,” Mr. Feist said. “They experience similar traffic situations. I think our neighbors will share the same opinion.”
Mr. Feist said critics of the bill would likely say increasing the length and weight of a trailer would be both cost-effective and environmentally friendly, but added that township officials must look at other priorities.
“It’s a balancing act,” he said. “There’s no clear right or wrong. It becomes a matter of economizing and public safety.”

