California Governor Schwarzenegger Announces Efforts to Speed Emergency Relief Deliveries to Southern California Fire Victims

10/25/2007 -- Cutting the red tape to get fire victims the supplies they need, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced that special load permits will be issued for trucks carrying disaster relief supplies in areas affected by fires in southern California. The permits will be valid on specified routes for seven days and, if necessary, may be extended.

“I want to make sure that fire victims get back on their feet as quickly as possible. This innovative strategy helps cut the bureaucracy - without compromising public safety - to get vital emergency relief to victims in need,” said Gov. Schwarzenegger.

Caltrans will issue permits for specific vehicles to carry up to 88,000 pounds on specified highways for disaster relief. The permits are being issued for highways that have been designed and built to the highest standards. These include routes 5, 8, 10, 15, 210 and 805.

Caltrans is working closely with the Office of Emergency Services, the California Highway Patrol and other partners to ensure public safety.

Federal law limits the total weight of trucks to 80,000 pounds on highways. Caltrans is making some short-term exceptions on six major freeways, to increase truckers' capacity to carry and deliver more supplies to the areas where they are needed.

Caltrans permit applications are available on-line at www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/trucks.

The latest information on fire-related highway closures is on the Caltrans website at http://dot.ca.gov.

Source: California Governor