The department may prohibit the operation of vehicles upon any highway of this state or impose restrictions as to the weight of vehicles to be operated upon any highway whenever any such highway, because of its substandard condition or because of deterioration, rain, snow, or other climatic conditions, or construction thereof, or because of traffic conditions thereon, will be seriously damaged or destroyed, or the public endangered by the use of vehicles thereon unless such use is prohibited or the permissible weights thereof reduced.
La. R.S. § 32:261