Iron County Road Commission Lowers Load Limits on Paint River Bridges

Weight restrictions tightened on two Paint River crossings along Forest Highway 16 at the start of March, putting immediate pressure on timber haulers and commercial operators who depend on the route through Iron County.

The Iron County Road Commission lowered load limits on the north-branch Paint River bridge on FH 16 and held in place an already reduced limit on the south-branch crossing. The back-to-back restrictions on both spans effectively closed the corridor to heavy loads, leaving commercial traffic no straightforward path through that stretch of Forest Highway 16.

Timber operations feel the impact most directly. Logging trucks running loads off the surrounding forestland rely on FH 16 as a primary artery, and the reduced limits on both Paint River bridges force those operators to find longer alternate routes or break loads down to comply with the new thresholds. Local contractors and other commercial haulers using the bridges face the same calculation.

The Iron County Road Commission has not publicly indicated a timeline for restoring full load capacity to either crossing. Spring thaw conditions routinely stress bridge infrastructure across the Upper Peninsula, and weight restrictions are a standard tool road commissions use to protect aging spans from damage that could prove far costlier than a season of rerouted traffic.

For now, both Paint River bridges on FH 16 remain open but restricted, and any operator planning a haul through that corridor should confirm current limits with the Iron County Road Commission before loading.