Occasionally a request is made for a Routine Overweight Permit or a Superheavy Overweight Permit to cross a load-posted bridge. TxDMV does not allow overweight permits for posted bridges.¹ However, Section 623.0113 of the

Texas Transportation Code

allows TxDOT to issue weight tolerance permits for overweight vehicles to cross load-posted bridges only when there is no other route.

Certain other bridges that are not load posted may not be capable of carrying Routine Overweight Permit Loads or Superheavy Permit Loads. Bridges that are in this category include but are not limited to continuous flat slabs with original H-15 designs. These bridges have short spans and were designed with the single H-load pattern truck placed along the span for maximum design conditions. Many of these bridges when rated with the now required HS-load pattern, and even using LF analysis, will rate at significantly less capacity than other types of bridges designed with H-load patterns. These bridges, though not currently load posted, must be carefully evaluated when overload permits are considered. This is the primary reason that the original design loads as shown in the Coding Guide should be entered correctly. Often these bridges have been widened, and occasionally, the widening design load has been incorrectly entered as the original design load.