Idaho Highway 12 (Lewiston: live, legal, move)

[MeInIdaho]

Orofino opinions appear split over mega-loads | KLEW CBS 3 - News, Weather and Sports - Lewiston, ID - Lewiston, Idaho | Local & Regional

Lewiston Tribune Online

There were protests in Lewiston over the weekend, although I can't find a link about them. It was only a few dozen people on the interstate bridge linking Lewiston and Clarkston. KLEW had a short story about them on last nights news. The front page of the Lewiston Tribune has a video showing some of the equipment being offloaded. Apparently the Snake's shipping lanes will be shut down soon. I guess for maintenance or something. Imperial Oil/Exxon must be thinking they'd better get their stuff to the port now if they're going to get it here at all.

[pw72]

It's interesting to me that a thread I started as a narrative of a beautiful highway has turned into a politcal issue. Upon further review, it has brought out some serious discussion of what kind of traffic is really appropriate on this route. While it was never intended to be that, I'm glad these issues are being discussed. I will say that I agree with most here, that heavy tanker traffic should not be on this highway. I also understand that public highways and their jurisdictions have limited power to restrict. A complicated issue, no doubt.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

pw72,
I think your original post sets the stage really well for the debate; you praised Highway 12 for its fantastic scenic qualities--and the megaloads debate must be seen on that background. If you don't love the area, you're probably not going to be upset over the megaloads prospect.

MeInIdaho, thanks for the link--I can't believe someone would actually say that it will be good for tourism--"people will want to come and look at the megaloads!" In the middle of the night? Only if they've broken down...

The story has hit the Big Time, folks--it's featured in the Wall Street Journal!
Court Fight Blocks Road to Canada's Oil Sands - WSJ.com
Read the comments, too!

[Keim]

New York Times, too.

[MeInIdaho]

Did you all see this?

State patrol escorts for loads OK

[cleosmom]

Alright I finally had a few minutes to read through all four pages

Both my husband and his brother are cross country truck drivers. They do not haul mega load, but refrigerated and dry van respectively. My brother-in-law called as this next week he's having to go to Lewiston, Moscow and then over to two more drops in MT. I told him flat out not to take 12 and that was prior to knowing any of the scuttle going on regarding the mega loads. 95 will take him where he needs to go and quite honestly due to the road, in less time.

He looked at the atlas and decided that 12 looks a wee bit scary for him and he was glad to hear my advice

After some more investigation I will see what I think about the chosen route

[strudel42]

Update, still cleaning up that diesel fuel spill:

Cleanup continues on Highway 12 fuel spill | Idaho | Idaho Statesman (http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/10/21/1387274/cleanup-continues-on-highway-12.html - broken link)

[banjomike]

It's much more than heavy tankers, PW. The oil company wants to move several huge disassembled oil rigs over Hwy. 12. Each load will completely block both lanes of the highway, and each will be longer than 3-4 tankers end to end.

There are serious doubts if the proposed loads will be able to navigate around some of the tight turns in the road, and if the enormous width of the loads will break down roadbed and the sides of the highway. If a load snags on a curve, or starts a landslide, or if a load slides off toward the river, it may be impossible to clear it, especially if a wreck occurs in the middle of a convoy, for a long time. Who knows how long? Nobody. There has never been such big loads carried over this road before.

The average speed of these loads will only be around 20 mph at most. They won't be pulled by semi tractors- they are not powerful enough. The tractors will probably be closer to the size of the big mining trucks than semi's.

The State was far too quick to give permission, but it could have been worse. By the thinnest of hair margins, enough folks in Boise realized just what could happen, and stopped it, but not for good.

The oil companies are trying to move their big drilling rigs from the North Slope to the fields in Alberta. When I say big, believe it- these things are BIG AND LONG. And they are enormously heavy- heavy enough that roadbed damage is a given.

There is no route in Canada that can handle them- moving them east from Vancouver, B.C. requires going over 2 very high passes, so the plan was to move them south into the U.S., then east from Washington into Idaho, and then on to Montana and upward to Alberta.

Hwy.12 is literally the only route that they can go over with their plan, and the route is much longer than just the stretch of 12 over the Lolo Pass, but the Lolo is the most critical area. Their only other alternative, as far as I've been able to gather, is to either build new rigs in Alberta or bring others up from the Gulf or Texas.

And it's not just our fight, either- Montana is also looking carefully at it, as it effects them as drastically as it does Idaho. The planned complete route is designed to avoid the Interstates, so whatever it is through Montana will be similar to Idaho's section.

This is stacking up to be a long and hard fight, and there is going to be a hell of a lot of money involved in many ways. It is not going to reach an easy conclusion with multi-billions of dollars involved.

[Haakon]

Originally Posted by banjomike

There is no route in Canada that can handle them- moving them east from Vancouver, B.C. requires going over 2 very high passes, so the plan was to move them south into the U.S., then east from Washington into Idaho, and then on to Montana and upward to Alberta.

Hwy.12 is literally the only route that they can go over with their plan, and the route is much longer than just the stretch of 12 over the Lolo Pass, but the Lolo is the most critical area. Their only other alternative, as far as I've been able to gather, is to either build new rigs in Alberta or bring others up from the Gulf or Texas.

Hwy 12 is the only route east from BC? Why can't they take I-90? Seems like an obvious choice, and should certainly be an easier route than taking all the state highways.

[Keim]

Originally Posted by Haakon

Hwy 12 is the only route east from BC? Why can't they take I-90? Seems like an obvious choice, and should certainly be an easier route than taking all the state highways.

Trying to avoid overpasses, cities and traffic. As an added bonus, the Port of Lewiston is the furthest inland port on the west coast.