Pulaski County is assembling information to enforce its own version of the Frost Law.
The law is already in effect in neighboring Starke County – which uses the ordinance as a way to prevent further damage to roadways. During Monday night’s Pulaski County Commissioners meeting, Highway Department Superintendent Terry Ruff discussed the ordinance.
He says the truck traffic has heavily damaged certain roads in the past.
“If we could keep them all on the same road, a designated route would help,” says Ruff. “They could use the state highway as much as they can and then come off and go the short distance.”
Frost laws are typically accompanied by signs which prevent commercial trucks from traveling the roadways in certain areas in adverse weather to maintain their quality. A permit may allow restricted travel.
Pulaski County Attorney Kevin Tankersley discussed the difficulty of enforcing such an ordinance, especially with out-of-county trucks. Fines could be applied to commercial traffic traveling marked roadways without a special permit.
Tankersley says Pulaski County should come up with a designated truck route.
“Are you looking to protect certain roads? Or protect all roads and provide a certain route through the county? Everyone who comes through the county is not going to know what our ordinance is, and they’re not going to stop by our highway department and get a permit,” says Tankersley.
The Pulaski County Commissioners were not prepared to take action on any Frost ordinance fees, Monday night. More research was suggested.
Hundreds of signs would need to be manufactured. The goal is to implement the Frost law in February.
