DeKALB – Starting Feb. 27, a seasonal weight limit will restrict vehicles over 8,000 lbs from driving through certain DeKalb roads.

The City of DeKalb issued a restriction on oversized vehicles due to freeze-thaw cycles that threaten to severely deteriorate road conditions on specific streets.

Restricted roads include South First Street beginning at Fairview Drive to Taylor Street, as well as Pleasant Street from Enterprise Drive to Loves Road. Other roads include Twombly Road and Malta Road starting at Annie Glidden Road to West City limits and Gurler Road, beginning from South First Street to Route 23. Finally, restrictions on Bethany Road will extend from Tygert Lane to West City limits.

Prohibited vehicles exceeding the weight limit will extend to single-axle vehicles that weigh over 8,000 lbs per axle and tandem axle vehicles that exceed 11,000 pounds per axle including a gross weight of 33,000 lbs and over.

Director of Streets & Facilities for the City of DeKalb Andy Raih issued the declaration when the selected roads began showing visible deterioration, according to a press release.

Freeze-thaw cycles occur when air temperatures continuously shift from above and below freezing temperatures, causing water to freeze and thaw repeatedly. This threatens pavements which can crack and expand from rainwater, snowmelt and soil layered underneath roads.

Raih said the selected roads showed signs of deterioration on a surface and base level, and determined they would be seriously damaged or destroyed if oversized vehicles were permitted to travel, according to the original declaration made to the City of DeKalb.

The travel limitation on oversized vehicles will only extend until the freeze-thaw cycle, a seasonal occurrence dependent on temperatures rising, completes for the DeKalb area.

Permission to travel can be requested depending on the load size by calling 815-748-2040 with Andy Raih at the Public Works Department.