News release

Spring Road Weight Restrictions

Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (Oct. 2007 - Feb. 2021)

Spring weight restrictions will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 7, on provincial roads in most of mainland Nova Scotia.

On that date heavy commercial vehicles will be prohibited from travelling on posted roads in the following counties: Annapolis, Colchester, Cumberland, Digby, Halifax, Hants, Kings, Lunenburg, Pictou, Queens, Shelburne, and Yarmouth.

The weight restrictions on heavy trucks are necessary during the spring thaw to help protect roads that are weakened by mild and wet weather.

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal monitors air and road temperatures and works closely with the trucking industry and Environment Canada to determine the date that best protects the province's road surfaces.

A list of roads that are exempt will be published in a number of newspapers across the province.

Restrictions will begin a week later, Monday, March 14, for roads in Antigonish, Cape Breton, Guysborough, Inverness, Richmond, and Victoria.

"These restrictions have a significant impact on the trucking industry so the department provides as much advance notice as possible," said Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Bill Estabrooks. "By the same token we have a lot of money invested in our roads and it’s important that we give them maximum protection."

The department monitors roads and the weather throughout the spring so roads can be opened or closed as conditions change. Updated information is posted on the department's website at http://www.gov.ns.ca/tran/trucking/springweight.asp .