Butler is cracking down on weight limits on its streets and bridges.

City police will be monitoring city bridges and citing trucks that exceed the posted weight limits.

City Patrol Officer Jeremy Walters recently was trained as a weights and measures truck enforcement specialist by the state police and will handle the patrol, according to Mayor Tom Donaldson.

Should a truck show signs of being over the posted weight limit, it will be stopped and weighed.

Donaldson said the city has an arrangement with state police to use the state’s portable weight scale, and it also can use privately owned platform scales in the city.

Neither city police nor the mayor would comment on which companies are offering scales.

Donaldson said trucks that are stopped can be weighed with the portable scales on the side of the road.

The portable scales have a plate that goes under each tire of a truck, the mayor said. Trucks will be given a 3 percent deduction in weight with portables.

If police opt to use a stationary platform scale, the truck will be escorted to it.

Donaldson said trucks will be hit with a $150 fine for the first 3,000 pounds over the posted limit, and an additional $150 for each 500 pounds after that.

The bill also would include other fees.

“The fines can become pretty costly,” Donaldson said.

The city has six posted bridges and one culvert, according to city records.

The Mercer Street, West New Castle Street, and North Sixth Avenue bridges all have 12-ton limits.

The Look Out Point Bridge on Monroe Street is posted at 5 tons.

The West Brady Street Bridge and Polk Street box culvert are posted at 3 tons.

The West Penn Street Bridge is posted at 10 tons and 28 tons combination. Combination weight limits are used to distinguish tractor-trailers from other vehicles.

The restrictions on bridges are decided by engineering studies.

“These aren’t new restrictions,” Donaldson said. “This is just the first time the city has enforced them.”

Donaldson said tougher traffic enforcement was one of the things he wanted to improve when he came to office in January.

“I started looking into this not too long after I took office,” he said.

Donaldson said the increased enforcement will not hurt businesses that use trucks.

“It will in no way affect businesses in the city,” he said.

However, the mayor did say truck drivers need to be aware which routes they are taking through the city.

“Drivers just need to stay on approved truck routes,” he said. “It’s their responsibility to do so.”

Donaldson said the city likely will explore having engineering studies done on some of its streets.

The city has 5-ton limits on six of its streets.

“It’s to better serve the city residents by taking care of the streets,” Donaldson said.

South Monroe Street is one street in particular that Donaldson said should probably have posted weight limits.

“A lot of trucks use it to get from Jefferson to Center (Avenue),” he said. “I think it’s one we need to look at.”

Donaldson said streets are a little easier for trucks because companies can bond streets if they need to use them.

Donaldson said the focus is on protecting the streets for safety reasons.

“If we don’t enforce these laws, then all of a sudden a bridge falls down, we would be liable,” he said. “We have to stay on top of this.”