Lincoln County supervisors Friday approved a heavy haulingordinance amendment that will give them a say in which roads areused in transporting lumber, gravel and other heavy materialsaround the county.

The ordinance will allow supervisors to stipulate which roadsheavy haulers use when moving materials. County officials said thegoal is to have the haulers avoid roads and bridges with low weightlimits.

District 3 Supervisor Nolan Earl Williamson said the ordinancewas long overdue.

“It’s going to save a lot of damage on our roads and bridges,”Williamson said. “It’s the same way with the ordinance onutilities.”

Earlier last week, supervisors passed a law that sets up apermit system for utility companies and others who need to rundistribution lines or similar equipment along county road rights ofway. It also holds companies responsible for any damage done tocounty roads during the work.

The hauling ordinance also addresses excessive mud on vehicletires from hauling activities. It requires mud to be cleaned fromroadways so it does not present a hazard to motorists.

In other activity Friday, supervisors opened and awarded someyearly bids on a wide variety of supplies and services used incounty operations. The board accepted bids on such items as a bankdepository, operator costs for heavy equipment and culverts.

“Surprisingly, some of them were down from last year,”Williamson said about bids for supplies and services.

However, Williamson said bids for any petroleum- or oil-relatedproducts were up. With prices up nationwide, county officialsanticipated higher fuel and related costs when working on thisyear’s budget.

Regarding bids, government agencies are required to accept thelowest and best bid for supplies and services. County officialswere reviewing some bids before making a decision.