Spokane7
42°
The Idaho Transportation Department has joined ConocoPhillips in
appealing to the Idaho 
Supreme Court a local judge’s decision to revoke
its permits for four huge truckloads of oil refinery equipment to travel
winding U.S. Highway 12 from Lewiston to Montana, saying the decision
could “end up restricting commerce and limiting business
opportunities.” Meanwhile, the high court granted a motion from
ConocoPhillips to expedite the court appeal, rather than take the usual
time - averaging 450 days - to hear a civil appeal. However, it set oral
arguments for Oct. 1. That’s expedited for a Supreme Court appeal, but it’s not quick enough
to allow Conoco to move the four giant shipments before paving starts on
the second lane of the Arrow Bridge on Highway 12/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Are you pleased that the Idaho Department of Transportation has joined ConocoPhillips in appealing judge’s decision banning its rigs on scenic Highway 12?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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Wes on August 30 at 3:54 p.m.
Not at all. Yet,I am not surprised in the least.
ejs on August 30 at 4:10 p.m.
This is such BS!
“end up restricting commerce and limiting business opportunities.”
Are you kidding me, like 200 loads that take four days each to get to Lolo isn’t going to “limit” business opportunities?
Restricy commerce? wow and the normal trucking that runs constantly on that road is going to run normal during that time, what a joke of an appeal.
The only thing that is hurt is the arrogance of big oil.
sue on August 30 at 4:20 p.m.
I thought they were there to protect our highways. ITD has it’s head screwed on backwards.
Sisyphus on August 30 at 4:31 p.m.
Oh yeah, that Idaho Reporter is unbiased. Yeah, sure, you betcha.
HonestGeorge on August 30 at 9:57 p.m.
On EOB, blogger powderfarmer nailed it - it looks like a fix is in -there are just too many common sense factors being overlooked by ITD.
I walk the levee across from those four loads every day - and believe me, they are HUGE. Two semi’s with full-height trailers parked nearby are dwarfed by their size. A normal semi trailer is usually about 13 to 13.6 feet high - these coke drums are 27 feet high. Normal width of a semi is 8 feet wide - these babies are 29 feet wide. The length of a semi trailer varies around 65-90 feet long. The coke barrels carrier trailers are 224 feet long.
IMO a good portion of the ‘distributed’ load of these babies will be on the lanes’ edge on both sides of the roadway - an area that breaks up first during any disturbance of the roadway because their is no ‘curb’ type damming action holding the roadway in place. The combined roadway width (both lanes) is barely wide enough for these trailers.
Regardless if my analysis of roadway damage is correct or not jamming these loads down that narrow roadway is a ludicrous idea.
moscow_minidoka on August 31 at 7:51 a.m.
ITD needs to serve the people of Idaho, not ConocoPhillips. Perhaps now we’re seeing why the last head of ITD was forced out? Did she refuse to whore our highways out at Butch Otter’s command?
ejs on August 31 at 9:08 a.m.
HonestGeorge,
Thank you so much for that scale sizing view. Your correct these things are gigantic and should not be on our roads.