MnDOT slows traffic near Oronoco through Thursday

Brian Todd, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

May 14—ORONOCO, Minn. — A statewide MnDOT project has led to traffic being backed up near Oronoco for a few days.

While the Minnesota Department of Transportation does not list any projects for District 6 on U.S. Highway 52 this year, MnDOT District 6 spokesman Michael Dougherty said the short construction project that has traffic backed up on Highway 52 is part of a statewide program to add Weigh-in-Motion systems for semi tractor-trailers on Minnesota's highways.

"They are doing work in the pavement and the adjacent median," Dougherty said Tuesday. "It's expected to wrap up at the end of the day on Thursday. We have these in place on other state highways as well."

Weigh-in-Motion is a scale systems that uses weight sensors installed within the main roadways and ramps to directly measure vehicle weight while in the flow of traffic, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

According to MnDOT, in addition to collecting the type of data that automated traffic recorders capture — volume, vehicle classification, speed — Weigh-in-Motion devices collect axle loadings, vehicle and axle configuration, and truck volume characteristics.

"When a vehicle passes over a WIM site, a sensor emits an analog signal whose strength is directly proportional to the axle weight of the vehicle, and the approximate weight is recorded," state's MnDOT's website on Weigh-in-Motion devices.

According to MnDOT, gross vehicle and axle weight monitoring is useful for a variety of reasons:

* Planning pavement design, monitoring, and research.

* Bridge design, monitoring, and research.

* Size and weight enforcement.

* Legislation and regulation.

* Administration and planning.

The from all WIM sites is processed and analyzed, and WIM Monthly Station Reports are posted online. Data is also submitted to the Federal Highway Administration. Analysis of annual trends in the data can lead to a better understanding of changing truck fleet characteristics and truck weights.