Bill advancing to maintain Highway 41 truck rules

U.S. 41 trucking legislation is virtually barreling through Congress.

A House bill recently introduced by Reps. Tom Petri, of Fond du Lac, and Reid Ribble, of Sherwood, is scheduled for committee markup Thursday. The Wisconsin Republicans plan to push for action by the full House immediately afterward.

The legislation would allow trucks currently using the highway to continue driving on it, regardless of weight, after it becomes a federal interstate. Federal law prohibits trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds on interstate highways.

“Because of the importance of Highway 41 for our region and the timeliness of the issue, I’m pleased that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will be considering the bill, which has bipartisan support from other members of the delegation and our two senators,” Petri said Monday.

Wisconsin Sens. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, and Ron Johnson, a Republican, introduced identical legislation Tuesday in the Senate.

“It is crucial Congress approve this effort by the end of this year, before the highway becomes part of the federal Interstate Highway System in 2014,” Baldwin said in a statement. “In order to grow our ‘Made in Wisconsin’ economy, we must provide businesses with the quality transportation system they need to move their goods to market. This legislation will ensure that and help strengthen our economy.”

Passage of the so-called grandfathering legislation is the first of three crucial steps that must be taken before the highway-interstate conversion can be approved. State transportation officials also have to complete and submit an environmental impact report and then finalize an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation plans to hold public hearings on a draft environmental report on Sept. 10, 11 and 12, and finalize the report by early October, according to the agency’s project manager, Tammy Rabe.

She does not anticipate much opposition to the interstate conversion.

“It seems that the economic groups along the corridor are all supportive of this. Highway 41 is already a four-lane highway,” she said in an interview.

Federal officials will need a few months to review all the application materials and could approve the conversion late this year or early next year.

Supporters say the interstate designation could help attract businesses and development to the 175-mile stretch of U.S. 41 between Green Bay and the Wisconsin-Illinois border. Currently, 23 percent of the state’s manufacturing, retail, and wholesale businesses are located along the highway, according to Ribble’s office.

In addition, as the main thoroughfare through Central Wisconsin between Milwaukee and Green Bay, the highway contributes 29 percent of Wisconsin’s tourism dollars.

The grandfathering legislation will be critical for trucking companies. Currently, Wisconsin allows trucks much heavier than the federal limit to use the road. For example, those carrying grain, coal or ore can weigh up to 88,000 pounds, while those hauling timber or pulp can weigh up to 98,000 pounds.

Without the legislation, they have to find alternate routes on local and rural roads, adding exponentially to the cost of doing business and disrupting local communities up and down the corridor.

“It’s important that we give truckers who currently use this corridor certainty for the future,” Petri said. “It’s only fair to say that if you can operate now, you can operate in the future.”