POTSDAM -- The town will post temporary weight restrictions on its roads Monday for the duration of the annual spring thaw.

Town Highway Superintendent John Keleher said the vehicle five-ton gross weight limit probably would remain in effect for about a month, although last year it wasn’t lifted until six or seven weeks after it started.

It starts in mid-March each year, “when the frost softens up” Keleher said.

The measure is taken to protect roads while frost in the ground thaws causing roadbeds to flex more than usual under heavy loads, and remains in place until the ground is thoroughly thawed out, Keleher said.