Douglas Dispatch

On Dec. 10, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) began construction on a new commercial truck weigh station to inspect vehicles passing through the Douglas Port of Entry.

A weigh station is a checkpoint along a highway to inspect vehicular weights. The federal maximum weight is set at 80,000 pounds. Trucks exceeding the federal weight limit can still operate on the country's highways with an overweight permit, but such permits are only issued before the scheduled trip and expire at the end of the trip.

Both an overweight single trip permit and an overweight 30 day permit cost $75. The overweight 30 day permit is load specific

The $4 million facility, a federal funded project, will be constructed on an 11 acre site northeast of the intersection of US 191 and State Route 80 in Douglas, in the same location as the existing inspection station. This project will include an administration building for the ADOT Enforcement and Compliance Division and a separate building for inspection activities.

Commercial vehicle inspections will continue during construction of the new facilities, which is expected to be complete in late 2013. Traffic on US 191 and SR 80 will be unaffected by the construction.

The new commercial vehicle inspection station will be housed inside a 5,800 square foot building featuring two inspection bays and eight inspection work stations as well as restrooms and janitorial facilities.

Both the administration and inspection facilities will be built to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver environmental standards that will include using local building materials, low water use landscaping and plumbing fixtures, and parking for fuel efficient vehicles.

For more information about this project, contact Safford District Senior Community Relations Officer C.T. Revere at 520.705.3574 or crevere@azdot.gov. Visit www.facebook.com/azdot or www.azdot.gov for more information about ADOT. For more information about ADOT projects and programs across Arizona see the agency's latest blog posts at http://adotblog.blogspot.com .