Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ellis County adopts resolution to enforce bridge weight limits after load‑rating program
Summary
The commission unanimously approved Resolution 2026‑01 to make posted load‑rating signs enforceable on county bridges after a federal/state load‑rating program; public‑works director said 193 structures were tested.
Ellis County commissioners voted unanimously Jan. 6 to adopt Resolution 2026‑01, establishing enforceable weight restrictions on identified bridges across the county following a federal and state load‑rating program.
Public works director Brendan McKay told the commission the action makes regulatory signs already posted on structures legally enforceable and follows a decade of updated bridge‑rating requirements prompted by national safety events. “This program paid for all of the load‑rating on every structure across the nation,” McKay said, adding that Ellis County has had more than 193 bridges load‑tested as older structures were taken out of inventory.
Commissioners asked how overweight violations would be detected and enforced; McKay said the Kansas Department of Transportation and Kansas Highway Patrol use scales and can be engaged when overweight use is suspected and that the county does not operate its own scales. The resolution passed on a unanimous voice vote (3–0).
