October 16, 2012
Oklahoma

Drivers of “oversize loads” must find a different road through Sapulpa

By Liz Bryant | 10/15/2012 | www.kjrh.com

Truck drivers carrying oversized loads must take a different route when driving through Sapulpa.

Sapulpa police say those trucks are taking out cars and street lights downtown.

Businesses sit right on the narrow road, which is also Route 66, a main highway.

Business owners say the “oversize loads” are too “oversized” for their street.

Sapulpa Lt. Mike Pullen said, “We’ve seen the big heat exchangers, houses and a lot of wind turbines and the propellers off the wind turbines. ”

This problem started a few months ago when Oklahoma’s Department of Public Safety began using a computer to automatically generate routes.

Officials there tell 2NEWS the program measures the truck’s weight and the street’s dimensions to see if it can handle the load. The program determined Route 66 Downtown Sapulpa is OK but the police and business owners don’t agree.

Diane Gloden owns “A Little Bit of Country,” and she said, “ There’s a lot of times where it’s a standstill, and the traffic isn’t moving anywhere.”

Gloden and other business owners were complaining to the Sapulpa police so the police chief went searching for answers. He called up Senator Brian Bingman who’s from Sapulpa and now the computer system is re-routing trucks.

Drivers are supposed to turn off on State Highway 117, which is well before downtown.

If the driver of an oversize load goes through downtown, police can’t automatically pull them over. They must have probable cause. However, if a driver doesn’t have a permit it’s a $250 ticket.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/10/16/drivers-of-oversize-loads-must-find-a-different-road-through-sapulpa/