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There are a myriad of laws, regulations, and policies governing the operating weights and dimensions of trucks. In Canada and many northern states, these regulations form a continuum of basic limits, seasonal variations, and overweight/overdimension limits that are legally permitted. This paper deals with the seasonal aspects of weight limits (winter weight premiums and spring weight restrictions) governing trucking within and to and from the prairie region. This region encompasses Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and the northern tier states of Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana. The paper presents results of research conducted for the transportation departments of the three prairie provinces and Public Works and Government Services Canada. It discusses existing winter weight premium and spring weight restriction regulations, as well as basic weight regulations in the region, and their technical rationale. It examines possibilities for using advanced technologies to help harmonize and rationalize seasonal truck size and weight regulations and enforcement practices, and identifies immediate opportunities for rationalization and harmonization of spring weight restrictions and winter weight premiums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although bridges were among the first civil engineering structures to use structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies, research is now expanding to explore other types of applications, including Manitoba's famous Golden Boy statue. Global research is identifying the value of using SHM technologies for civil engineering applications. Structural health monitoring uses a variety of sensors to gather information about the behaviour of a structure. The information creates a valuable knowledge base that can be analyzed to help identify potential structural risks, develop safer and more efficient new structures, and determine more effective ways to rehabilitate existing structures. This paper briefly describes the history of the Manitoba Legislative Building and the Golden Boy and also the use of SHM technologies to help preserve the Golden Boy statue, an icon of provincial heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]