NEGAUNEE — The Negaunee Police Department is increasing enforcement of the city’s vehicle weight restrictions on local streets.

The move comes after a Michigan Department of Transportation culvert replacement project resulted in closures around M-35 near Negaunee, making necessary an 18-mile detour along U.S. 41 and M-553, city manager Nate Heffron said in a release last week.

“We recently changed our ordinance to allow for temporary truck routes to be established for construction purposes,” Heffron said. “However, when the Marquette County Road Commission reviewed one of the initial reroutes for the M-35 bridge project, it was scrapped. The bridge on 480, just outside of the city of Negaunee, is not rated to handle loads over 31 tons, according to the last bridge inspection.”

He said trucks over the weight limit will be required to travel the 18-mile detour for that reason.

“It us truly unfortunate,” Heffron said. “We wish we could help, but the bridge stands in the way, and it’s out of our hands.”

According to Chapter 420 of the Negaunee Code of Ordinances, the only truck route currently established in the city is Business Route M-28.

Anyone cited for violation of the ordinace will face a $100 citation issued by the city.

Additionally, officers from both the Michigan State Police and the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office are enforcing the weight limit on the Marquette County Road 480 bridge with a weighmaster, the release states.

A weighmaster enforces rules and regulations for the movement of oversize and overweight vehicles on roads and streets, and citations are being given for violations of the County Road 480 bridge weight limit.

“We ask that each truck driver please respect our local and state rules with regard to travel, and to please be aware of the posted weight limits for the 480 bridge,” Heffron said. “This is a matter of public safety.”

According to the MDOT website, the culvert project is not expected to be completed until the beginning of October. Noncommercial traffic and vehicles under the posted weight limits will still be allowed to seek alternative routes.