As most of you recognize, the 100,000-pound logging trucks that run continuously up 5A are a safety hazard to all of us who live and travel along this highway and you can't help but hear them as they travel through Westmore. Why are they traveling along this winding, narrow road and not the Interstate highways? We found out that the load limit for the Interstate is only 80,000 pounds while 5A is 99,000 pounds. To get these monster logging trucks back on the Interstate where they belong, we should have to meet with the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles who are responsible for advising the legislature on load limits for Vermont roads.

So, thanks to Carmen Anderson and members of the Westmore Association, a meeting was held on October 10th with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and several of the department heads in Montpelier. We found out that to raise the load limit on the Interstate, a federal highway, to that of 5A, we would have to write our US Congressmen. That means that we must all write letters to our national legislators (addresses below) and urge them to raise the load limit in Interstate 91 to 99,000 pounds.

Your letters should focus on our concern for safety as well as noise and air pollution and summer residents should use their Westmore return addresses. Please join us in this important effort. Also, Carmen Anderson is going to try and get the folks in West Burke, West Charleston and Derby to take similar action.

Bob Drew

President, Westmore Asssociation

 

Governor James Douglas

109 state Street Pavilion

Montpelier, VT 05609-0101

Senator Patrick Leahy

433 Russell Senate Office Bldg.

Washington, DC 20510

Senator James Jeffords

413 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.

Washington, DC 20510

Representative Bernard Sanders

2233 Rayburn House Office Bldg.

Washington, DC 20515