OAKLAND — The Town Council is restarting the process of adopting regulations to limit heavy trucks on Rice Rips Road.

The council was expected to have a second, final vote on imposing a 26,000-pound weight limit on the road at its meeting Wednesday, but it decided to go in a different direction, Town Manager Gary Bowman said Thursday morning.

The Oakland Town Council, instead of imposing an expected weight limit on Rice Rips Road, will now consider posting the road against through traffic of a certain weight, so residents can transport heavy items. Staff file photo by David Leaming

Instead of a blanket weight restriction, the council now will consider posting the road against through traffic carrying more than 26,000 pounds, Bowman said.

That way, residents who might need to have an occasional heavy load brought to their home won’t have to apply for a town permit for the trip, as they would under a simple weight restriction. The proposed through-traffic rule also will have an exemption for agricultural equipment using the road.

Bowman said he reconsidered the earlier regulation after getting a couple of phone calls from contractors.

“It resolves the issue and softens it up for other people,” he said.

Because the regulation is different than the one initially proposed, however, the council will need to start over with a first reading at its next meeting on Oct. 28, Bowman said.

The town is trying to stop trucks using Rice Rips Road as a short-cut when carrying material from a warehouse on Marston Road to Fairfield Street on their way to the Sappi paper mill in Skowhegan. Bowman has said the town would prefer to see the trucks travel down Washington Street in Waterville and get on Interstate 95 north.

The mainly residential road has sustained significant damage from truck traffic, and homeowners have complained about the noise and speeding on the road.

Peter McGuire — 861-9239

pmcguire@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @PeteL_McGuire

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