Transportation Bill Includes Heavy Haul

The 2010 transportation funding bill awaiting President Obama’s signature includes provisions to permit Maine and Vermont to conduct one-year pilot programs granting heavier trucks greater use of these states’ Interstate highways.
On Dec. 13, the U.S. Senate voted 57-34 to approve the FY 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Conference Document, which Obama is expected to sign in to law.
In Maine, trucks weighing over 80,000 pounds are forced off Interstate 95 in Augusta and onto secondary roads. A similar situation exists in Vermont.
The bill consolidated four funding bills, including Housing and Urban Development and Veteran’s Affairs, and totals $446.8 billion in discretionary budget authority.
It also requires the Department of Transportation to submit an annual document to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the safety and security of transportation in to the United States by Mexico-domiciled motor carriers.