I noticed that in Missouri alot of freeway bridges warn vehicles that there is a 30 ton maximum on bridges. Why is that needed to be posted? Are not all semis less than that particular weight?
Plus how come you do not see that pretty much elsewhere unless AK, HI, MT, and WA (states I never yet visited) have them.
Washington state started adding them back in 2017. Probably in response to our deteriorating infrastructure.
Also, if a vehicle damages a structure, the state can bill them if they were too heavy for the load listed on the sign.
iPhone
The standard for freeways is 40 tons, though can be higher. The 30 ton sign is needed as trucks could be overweight.
I wondered the same thing, and found this: Load Rating for the FAST Act's Emergency Vehicles (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/loadrating/161103.cfm). I don't know why the entire country is not following these guidelines.
Spotted some unusual ones recently in northern Montana, with weight limit based on tire width. Didn't take any pics, but here's a Street View from just outside Dutton:
(https://i.imgur.com/gYLZEHH.png)
https://goo.gl/maps/GkaZc7qEoeUxDuMx5
Not even just freeway signs in Missouri. Small residential roads have stuff like this (https://www.google.pl/maps/@38.6121964,-90.4967116,3a,15y,276.49h,85.27t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sB7MnLep3u-aV0FbOBbX57A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656/). I just drove this road today, in fact.
Even at 25 mph, this is a lot to take in.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48525676717_43d2a1abf7_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gW3M5z)
They are both more detailed and more common on smaller two-lane roads with smaller or older bridges, such as this one (https://www.google.com/maps/@36.5776729,-92.6412597,3a,48.9y,290.82h,88.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJ7fVmUoGSqNvN3Sp0MWD8A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656). I don't blame them for that one, as that is an old truss dating back to the fifties.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpicayune.uclick.com%2Fcomics%2Fch%2F1986%2Fch861126.gif&hash=10a4d94a7545e59c724a9eb87132cf293ad5b325)
MA likes to sprinkle weight limit signs around.
Quote from: ozarkman417 on July 11, 2020, 11:53:56 PM
They are both more detailed and more common on smaller two-lane roads with smaller or older bridges, such as this one (https://www.google.com/maps/@36.5776729,-92.6412597,3a,48.9y,290.82h,88.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJ7fVmUoGSqNvN3Sp0MWD8A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656). I don't blame them for that one, as that is an old truss dating back to the fifties.
I'm honestly more surprised that MO uses yellow traffic signals in construction zones, backplates and all. https://www.google.com/maps/@36.5774968,-92.6425592,3a,27.8y,278.39h,93.3t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2THz-lgs1vK0uIj0w8QTbQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656