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Weight limit biggest problem on MI roads, some say

LANSING, MI (AP)--   Critics of Governor Rick Snyder's call for more money to fix Michigan's ailing roads and bridges are pointing to the state's highway weight limit as the problem. 

The Detroit Free Press reports Tuesday that Michigan has the highest maximum truck weight in the nation at 164,000 pounds.

In his third State of the State address last week, Governor Snyder asked lawmakers for an additional $1.2 billion a year to fund Michigan's transportation system.

Chief Operations Officer for the Michigan Department of Transportation Gregory Johnson tells the Free Press that Michigan's requirement that heavier trucks ride on more axles actually reduces the impact on the state's roads.

But Johnson says "there is no doubt there is an incremental cost" for building roads designed "for heavier loads."

Nicole was born near Detroit but has lived in the U.P. most of her life. She graduated from Marquette Senior High School and attended Michigan State and Northern Michigan Universities, graduating from NMU in 1993 with a degree in English.