Central Otago District Council approved the move this week.
While a councillor showed concern that the additional 3-metre length of the trucks would make them more difficult to pass – the council’s roaring manager, Julie Muir, pointed out they were already on the road.
“The bigger trucks are here, they are legally allowed to operate on our network. The question is whether we let them load up.”
They have been legally allowed to operate on State Highways when loaded to 50 tonnes.
Muir says allowing the heavier vehicles to operate on local roads would mean Central Otago residents would be able to “reap the benefits of reduced freight costs of goods brought into the district, and assist businesses who move freight out of the district to remain competitive.”
Muir says consultants had been hired to assess the effects of the heavier vehicles on road pavements. They concluded “the overall risk of increased pavement deterioration … is to be assessed as low.”
Bridges which already had weight restrictions on them would be excluded from routes the new trucks could take. After a suitability screening process of bridges in the district, the only one left in question was over the Clutha River at Millers Flat. The NZTA would fund further analysis of it but if it required an upgrade, the council would bear that cost.
The analysis is expected to take place between January and March.
The larger trucks require an annual permit which the NZTA will issue on behalf of the council, as well as bearing any costs involved.
The Central Otago District Council was the first in Otago and Southland to consider introducing the rule.
