REGINA — As of yesterday, full weight loads were restored to a handful of highways in Saskatchewan with the rest of the network expected to follow shortly.

Spring road bans were lifted May 4 at 12:01 a.m. for the areas of Carlyle, Weyburn, Regina, Moose Jaw and Swift Current. The bans will be lifted in a northeasterly direction across the province.

Road bans are in place to ensure truckers and shippers reduce the size of their loads on secondary weight highways by up to 15 percent for a six-week period when thin membrane surface highways are most vulnerable to damage.

To understand where the bans are occurring at any given time, the Department of Highways and Infrastructure has an interactive map on its website — www.highways.gov.sk.ca — under "Special Weights" as well as "Services for Truckers and Shippers."

The latest road ban information for highways and municipal roads can also be found in list form on the website under the heading "Road Restriction Orders." New information is published twice weekly.