Newton County Highway Department

                3653 S. 275 W.      P.O. Box 477     Morocco, IN 47963     Phone:  219.285.2595   Fax:  219.285.6734

E-Mail:  highway@newtoncountyin.com

  


 

 

 

    

 

 

 

FROST LAW BEGINS FOR ALL NEWTON COUNTY ROADWAYS

The Newton County Highway Department reminds drivers that the ‘Frost Law’ officially began on February 1st and runs through April 1st.  The ‘Frost Law’ is designed to protect the county roads from damage caused by heavy vehicles traveling during a time when the roads and the road bases are defrosting.  The road bases are vulnerable while they go through the defrost stage and this year they will be especially so given the amount of moisture from the January flooding.

 Any vehicle weighing over 5 tons is prohibited from traveling on county roads during this period.  The penalty for violating the ‘Frost Law’ can be as much as $ 2,500 and is based on the high cost of repairing and replacing roads.  Highway Supervisor Russ Schanlaub said that as in the past they will work with those who must transport a heavy load, “we do issue special permits for heavy loads when we can do so, the permits are issued for a specific day and sometimes a specific time frame and on certain roads”.

 The ‘Frost Law’ does not apply to State Roads, U.S. Highways, or streets within an incorporated town.  County roads deemed ‘All Season Roads’ are exempt from the ‘Frost Law’ and include the following:

 

  • County Road 50 East    Jefferson Township
  • Meridian Road from 114 south    Beaver/Jackson Township
  • County Road 400 North from US 41 to State Line Road    Colfax Township
  • County Road 200 East from SR 114 to County Road 500 South    Jackson Township
  • County Road 400 South from US 41 to State Line Road    Beaver Township
  • County Road 900 South from US 41 to the Ade Elevator    Washington Township
  • County Line Road from SR 10 to SR 14    Lincoln/Colfax Township
  • Old US 41 (CR 300 West) Through Lake Village    Lake Township
  • Old US 41 (CR 300 West) North of Morocco    Beaver Township
  • Old US 41 (CR 250 West) North of Kentland    Jefferson Township
  • County Road 300 North from SR 55 to County Line Road    Colfax Township
  • County Road 500 North from SR 55 to County Line Road     Colfax Township
  • County Road 600 North from SR 55 to County Line Road     Colfax/Lincoln Township
  • County Road 225/250 North from US 41 to North Newton High School   McClellan Township
  • County Road 100 East from SR 14 to 100 South    Jefferson Township

For more information contact the Newton County Highway Department at 219-285-2595. 

 

2008 Winter Flooding

The January flooding has taken its toll on many of our county roadways, bridges, culverts and ditches.  Please pay close attention to any signs regarding road conditions, do not drive around barricades indicating that a road is closed.  The NCHD is working hard to re-open any bridges or roadways that were closed due to the flooding, however the weather dictates certain jobs and some work will have to remain until spring. 

SNOW REMOVAL

As we all know we will still see significant snow this season.  The next time you see a NCHD plow driving pay attention to the design of the plow, it raises on the passenger’s side of the truck and forms a ‘scoop’ of sorts.  This design allows for the snow to be forced to the right side of the roadway so as not to hit oncoming cars or cover up the other travel lane. 

While the truck is plowing the snow builds in the scoop of the plow and it’s not uncommon to have several hundred pounds of snow coming from the plow.  The plows attempt to travel at enough speed to move the snow away from the roadway by a few feet.  This helps reduce the drifting on the roads and leaves the shoulders open in the event that a driver has to move over for some reason. 

 

The combination of the speed and the amount of snow will sometimes wreak havoc on mailboxes in rural settings.   Our drivers do their very best to avoid hitting a mailbox with snow but it is not always possible to avoid.  The county ordinance calls for mailboxes to be placed at least 32 inches from the edge of the roadway, if you do this it will greatly reduce your chances of losing a mailbox. 

Remember, the NCHD has approximately 700 miles of roadway to clear with each snow, there are 12 snowplows which means each driver has roughly 60 miles of roadway, each mile with two lanes of travel to care for.  This means the driver must travel at least 120 miles to cover each road one time.  If the snow is drifting or if additional salt/sand applications are needed or if there are some areas such as intersections that need cleaned, the driver may cover the area or parts of it more than one time.