On big fill-ups, gas totals can exceed credit limits

Paying at the pump is convenient, but it’s becoming a little less so as gas prices continue to climb.

The problem for drivers of larger vehicles with huge fuel tanks is that most service stations place a limit on the dollar amount of gas that can be pumped on a credit card. And that $50 to $75 shut-off point isn’t going to get you very far if you drive a Ford Super Duty truck with a 38-gallon tank.

The same limit applies to debit cards if the station treats them like credit cards.

The limit is imposed to protect stations and customers, said Daryl Beck, assistant manager of the Holiday service station at 2303 N. Argonne Road.

“If someone steals a credit card, it limits the amount they can buy,” Beck said.

But the limit doesn’t have to prevent you from filling your tank, said Dottie Baka, a clerk at the ZipStop at 701 E. Sherman Ave. in Coeur d’Alene. Just ask the attendant for help when the pump shuts down.

“We’ll turn ‘em on again and let them pump again,” Baka said.

Also consider the temporary cost of using your debit card for at-the-pump paying. You may purchase only $19.27 worth of gas, but the gas station and bank may have put a hold of $50 or $75 on it that could lock your money up for days.

The reasoning is that the gas station wants to make sure before you pump that you have enough money to pay for the purchase, but many take days to sort out the difference between the hold and the gas you actually buy.

If money is tight, you may want to pay inside. When you use your PIN to make a purchase, the amount will match the amount you pumped.

Are blood samples next?

So the cashier at your local big box store wants to scan the back of your driver’s license before you pay with a check. And you just remembered that the Washington Department of Licensing has your Social Security number.

Should you worry?

“At this time there is nothing in those bar codes that is not on the front of the license,” said Department of Licensing spokesman Brad Benfield.

That means the store could save your address, birth date and organ donor status, but not your Social Security number or driving record, Benfield explained.

And there’s no plan now to add that information to the bar codes.

So why have the bar codes at all? Convenience, Benfield said.

One potential use is that police could incorporate it into their procedures if they wanted to automatically fill in an electronic ticket form.

OK, but there is still some information on that card that many of us would like to keep secret, maybe even more than our Social Security numbers.

Our weight.

Bridges to nowhere

Crews begin building six new bridges today for the future North Spokane Corridor.

The bridges will allow the future freeway to cross over Fairview Road, Market Street and Parksmith Road.

Other bridges will allow Shady Slope Road and Perry Road to cross over the freeway.

It will take two construction seasons and $17.23 million to build the bridges, but soon after they are finished, the first section of the corridor will open to traffic in late 2008, allowing drivers freeway travel between Francis Avenue near Freya Street and Farwell Road.

Slow going

I-90

I-90 is reduced to two lanes in each direction between Division and Maple.

North Spokane

Lanes will be closed on the Monroe Street Bridge Wednesday for WSU engineering student studies.

Euclid Avenue repairs will cause lane restrictions between Haven and Crestline this week.

Northwest Boulevard is reduced to one lane from Alberta to Belt today.

Sunset Bridge and Washington/Stevens Bridge work Tuesday-Friday will cause lane restrictions.

Rutter Parkway is open on a gravel road with a 25 mph speed limit and single lane traffic. Flaggers will also be directing single-lane traffic most days on Highway 291 near Rutter Parkway and Charles Road from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Expect long delays.

Crestline Street is closed from Lincoln Road to Francis Avenue. Lincoln Road is closed from Napa Street to Crestline. Detours are in place.

West Dennison-Chattaroy Road is closed to all but local traffic between Highway 395 and Perry Road.

Greenbluff Road construction near the Greenbluff school could cause delays.

West Plains

Hayford Road is under construction from Highway 2 to Sprague Avenue.

The McEneany/Coulee Hite Bridge is closed 200 feet north of Thorpe Road today through Friday. Coulee Hite Road is also closed from Thorpe to McFarlane.

South Spokane

Highway 195 construction between Rosalia and Plaza will reduce traffic to one lane between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Flaggers and pilot cars will direct traffic.

Bernard Street is closed from 14th Avenue to 29th Avenue. Traffic is detoured to Grand Boulevard and Lincoln Street.

Work on 37th Avenue closes it from Bernard Street to Grand Boulevard. Several nearby streets are also closed.

Freya Street reconstruction will close traffic to all but local access from Hartson and 11th Avenue and from 18th and 37th avenues. Detours are in place.

Regal Road is under construction from 57th Avenue to the Palouse Highway. Expect delays.

Spokane sweeping

Crews will sweep in the northwest from Mission/Maxwell to Cora and Division to Monroe; and on the south side in the area bounded by 29th Avenue, 48th Avenue, Regal Street and Custer Street.

Please move cars off the streets. For more information, call (509) 456-2666.

Spokane Valley/Liberty Lake

Adams Road is closed from Fourth Avenue to Eighth Avenue.

Sprague Avenue is closed from Harmony Road to Hodges Road through Aug. 25.

Montgomery is closed from Long to Riverway through Thursday.

Broadway Avenue overlay work is under way between Bates Road and Sullivan Road. Expect lane restrictions.

Barker Road is closed from Boone to Mission for road widening. The portion from Mission to Riverway is open with lane restrictions.

Liberty Lake Drive repairs may cause slowdowns today between Sprague and Molter Road.

Idaho

Lakeside Avenue and First Street traffic will be detoured near the new Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce building through mid-August as crews work on relocating underground utilities.

Prairie Avenue remains under construction between Ramsey and Huetter.

The Government Way bridge in Coeur d’Alene is closed to traffic.

Construction on Lancaster Road between Government Way and Strahorn may cause delays.

South Clearwater Loop will be closed east of Lochsa Street in Post Falls Tuesday for trench work.