Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler wants to hear from local farmers and over-the-road truck drivers before presenting the final truck route ordinance to the county commissioners for approval.
During a public hearing Monday evening, he stressed farm vehicles will be exempt as long as they have a farm plate issued by the BMV.
“We do not want to restrict anything,” Ritzler told the crowd at the meeting. “There are no fees for permits. All farmers can farm, all delivery people can deliver.”
Ritzler says free permits will be issued for farmers, over-the-road truck drivers and anyone else who frequently operates a vehicle weighing more than 38,000 pounds on a county road. He says doing so will help with route planning.
Right now there are 10 miles of county-maintained hot-mix asphalt roads in Starke County, in addition to state highways. Ritzler’s goal is to add another 123 miles within the next five to 10 years with three-to-one matching money from INDOT.
“That could be done if it’s planned correctly and the maintenance is done correctly and we know where the trucks are goingWe can allocate the resources the right way,” Ritzler said.
He will add any roads that are frequently used by farmers or over-the-road drivers to the route plan if he receives proper notification. Ritzler intends to present the truck route ordinance to the commissioners for final adoption during their May 15th meeting.
The long-term goal is to have every location in Starke County within a mile of either a hot-mix asphalt county road or a state highway.
