County may be path of least resistance for megaloads
SANDPOINT — State highways in Bonner County appear to be the path of least resistance for three massive pieces of oil refinery equipment destined for Montana.
The megaloads could lumber up U.S. Highway 95 and over to Highway 200 because using Interstate 90 in the Panhandle triggered a review under the National Environmental Policy Act.
The three transports, each of which weigh 1.6 million pounds and measure 441 feet long, are parts of a hydrocracking unit bound for Calumet Refining in Great Falls, Mont.
Mammoet USA South initially planned to truck the loads using I-90, but a proposed temporary access ramp on the interstate near Lake Coeur d’Alene’s Higgens Point forced the drafting of an environmental assessment.
But no NEPA analysis would be required if the loads are redirected through Bonner County, according to Jason Minzghor, a project development engineer for Idaho Transportation Department in Coeur d’Alene.
“If they stay on the (Highway) 200 route, there’s no interstate break required. They’re staying on ITD right of way,” said Minzghor.
Minzghor said bridges on U.S. 95 and Highway 200 are currently being analyzed to determine if they can support the weight of the megaloads. A permit for the oversized loads could be issued in the next three to five weeks.
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“We won’t issue a permit until they have demonstrated that all bridge crossings are safe,” Minzghor said.
The analyses are being conducted by Forsgren Associates, a civil and environmental engineering consulting firm with offices across the West. They will examine the U.S. 95 Long Bridge, in addition to Highway 200 spans at Trestle Creek and Lightning Creek.
The loads bookended by two tractor trailers at each end. The weight on the trailer would be distributed across 32 axels, according to Mammoet’s proposed travel plan.
The loads would travel overnight, between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Traffic would be held at predetermined areas for intervals not to exceed 15 minutes so the megaloads can pass through on two-lane sections of highway.
Wild Idaho Rising Tide has vigorously challenged previous megaloads coming though the Gem State on philosophical and practical grounds.
WIRT contends the loads ultimately exacerbate adverse climate change by hastening the controversial development of the tar sands oil deposits in Alberta, Canada. The group further assert that previous megaloads have damaged highway surfaces, in addition to roadside utility infrastructure and trees.
WIRT declined to comment on megaloads passing through Bonner County on Thursday. A message seeking comment from Helen Yost of WIRT yielded no response.