Duffy introduces TIMBER Act
Press Release
U.S. Representative Sean Duffy introduced H.R. 3778, the "Trees on the Interstate Means a Better Economy and Roads Act of 2015" or TIMBER Act today. The bill would exempt a 12-mile stretch of Interstate in Marathon County from the 80,000 pound weight limit for logging trucks. Instead, logging trucks would be allowed to weigh up to 98,000 on that Interstate which is consistent with Wisconsin state law.
"This bill impacts the safety of our 7th District community - specifically the drivers and pedestrians who have to share these narrow back roads with large trucks that are forced to diverge from the highway to remain compliant with the weight limit.
Rep. Duffy continued, "This bill offers a common sense, yet long-awaited, fix that makes sense for the safety of my constituents, and the efficiency needs of the trucks that travel through this part of the district. I appreciate the local support it has garnered and am very hopeful that it will move swiftly through the House."
Local community groups and leaders have expressed support for the legislation, including Marathon County Highway Commissioner, Jim Griesbach, who offered this comment: "It is unfortunate that states such as Wisconsin, who have become more efficient with better truck transportation alternatives, have had to divert trucks from well-built interstate roads to secondary road systems in more populated areas.
"The TIMBER ACT will do a great job of mitigating the occurrence of unnecessary pedestrian and passenger vehicle contact with commercial vehicles while preserving rural highway infrastructure and I thank Rep. Duffy for staying on top of this issue."
U.S. Interstate 39 runs north from central Illinois (Normal, IL) and terminates in Rib Mountain, Wisconsin. I-39 was designed to replace U.S. Highway 51, which in the early 1980s was one of the busiest two-lane highways in the United States. I-39 runs concurrently with US 51 south from its terminus in Rib Mountain to just north of Portage, Wisconsin.
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