The Idaho Transportation Board this morning is poised to eliminate the 10-minute rule for traffic delays by oversized megaloads, as part of an obscure agenda item related to a new law regarding farm tractors on roads. "Whenever they have a rule change on a particular rule, they'll do cleanup work on any other areas of the rule," said Molly McCarty, ITD legislative liaison. But she couldn't say why elimination of the 10-minute delay rule would be considered "cleanup."

The rule has been at issue in the contested-case fight over permits for hundreds of huge, oversized megaloads of oil equipment to travel narrow, twisting U.S. Highway 12, enroute to the Alberta oil sands. Also included in this morning's proposed rule change is elimination of the current 24-foot maximum width for any loads traveling on interstates, which also could affect plans to move reduced-height megaloads on I-90.