[Vision2020] Pay Now AND Pay Later

[Paul Rumelhart]

It sounds to me like they need to increase the costs of the permits for 
"megaloads", perhaps on a sliding scale based on weight, to offset the 
potential costs outlined in the article.

Paul


On 12/30/2013 11:05 AM, Moscow Cares wrote:
> Courtesy of Linwood Laughy, one of the founders of the anti-megaload 
> movement.
>
> ---------------------------------
>
> Pay Now AND Pay Later
>
> The Taxpayer Cost of Megaloads in Idaho
>
> "On major roads, damage caused by overweight trucks---or by more 
> legally loaded trucks than the road was designed for---can take years 
> to show up..."
>
> "Pounding the Pavement" by Pat Stith, The News and Observer, 2005
>
> Each time the Idaho Transportation Department issues a permit for a 
> megaload to
>
> cross our state, Idaho citizens subsidize some of the most profitable 
> and powerful corporationsin the world. Yes, these gargantuan loads 
> present residents, visitors and regularcommercial truck drivers with 
> inconvenience and safety risks, forms of subsidy
>
> themselves, but I'm talking real money, tax money, the kind of money 
> the Idaho legislaturehas trouble finding for schools and prisons and, 
> ironically, highways and bridges.And megaload subsidies are incurred 
> not once or twice but at three different times.
>
> Consider the 900,000+ lb. General Electric load hauled by Omega Morgan 
> that entered
>
> the state December 22nd after 21 days crossing 315 miles of eastern 
> Oregon. Accordingto ITD, this load will travel 488 highway miles in 
> Idaho and cross 84 bridges.
>
> ITD staff in Boise and in 3 different districts examined engineering 
> drawings, studied potentialroutes, completed bridge analyses, reviewed 
> traffic control plans, likely dealt withcalls from concerned citizens 
> and local government officials, and prepared public 
> informationannouncements. In other words, just to analyze Omega 
> Morgan's proposal andprepare for issuing a permit, ITD provided 
> hundreds of state employee staff hours at littlecost to the shipper.
>
> A second taxpayer subsidy will occur while this megaload is actually 
> traveling
>
> through the state. Based on over 2 years' close observations of ITD's 
> handling of Highway 12 megaload transports, ITD can be expected to do 
> anything necessary to facilitatethe movement of the Omega Morgan loads 
> across Idaho---from filling potholes the daybefore a run (including on 
> Sundays) to having ITD crews accompany the loads with extrasnowplows 
> and de-icing trucks, and addressing multiple public relations issues. 
> TheIdaho State Police and local law enforcement will also rack up 
> hours dealing with whatare referred to as "safety issues" during 
> megaload travel, which can include escorting theloads, controlling 
> traffic, and moving sleeping truckers off neededmegaload turnouts.
>
> While a megaload accident's blocking a highway (like the 
> Emmert International accidentin Oregon in early December) could create 
> serious short-term problems, and thedestruction of a bridge (like the 
> Skagit River bridge in Washington in August) could costthe state and 
> Idaho citizens millions of dollars, the greatest state subsidy for 
> megaloadswill likely happen down the road; i.e., in future years. 
> Claims by megaload supportersthat a megaload does no more damage to 
> the highway than, say, a one-ton pickup arebased on pounds of pressure 
> per inch of tire width. More than 50 years of research bythe Federal 
> Highway Administration contradicts this simplification, research which 
> resultedin limits on total load weight, tire load weights and axle 
> load weights on thenation'shighways for reasons of safety and to 
> protect taxpayer investment. These limitsare, respectively, 105,500 
> lbs. total load weight, 600 lbs. per inch of tire width, and20,000 
> lbs. per single axle or 34,000 lbs. per tandem axle.
>
> The Omega-Morgan megaload that entered Idaho on December 22nd weighs over
>
> 900,000 lbs. and includes 16 axles bearing 44,750 lbs. each. These 
> axles are traveling
>
> over roadways designed for 20,000 lb. single axle loads. The 
> Washington State Departmentof Transportation provides a summary of 
> what happens to bridges and roadwayswhen axle weights exceed 
> regulation weights. Among their conclusions:
>
> Current information shows that even slight changes in load limits have
>
> major impacts on pavement and bridge performance. Both the axle and
>
> tire load affect pavements and bridges.
>
> As the total load carried by an axle increases, so does the total load on
>
> the pavement or bridge. An axle carrying 20,000 pounds puts the same
>
> total weight on a bridge or a pavement whether 6-inch wide or 12-inch
>
> wide tires are used. The total load may cause damage or failure, even if
>
> the local point stresses under the tires are not large.
>
> The relationship between axle weight and pavement damage is not linear,
>
> but exponential. For example, a single axle loaded to 40,000 lbs 
> (twice the
>
> legal load) causes 16 times more damage than a single axle legally
>
> loaded to 20,000 lbs.
>
> Copy of the 2006 WSDOT report titled Legal Load Limits, Overweight 
> Loads and
>
> Pavement and Bridges is attached for your convenience, or you can find 
> it at:
>
> http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/nr/rdonlyres/2511b6cc-6671-41fa-881b-6b48fe6fc90d/0/truckloadsfolio.pdf
>
> This report makes clear that the exponentially greater damage to 
> highways causedby excessive axle weights will require, at a minimum, 
> costly road and bridge repairs earlierthan would otherwise be the case 
> if axle weights were regulated to meet federalstandards. Thus 
> taxpayers will incur greater costs for maintaining transportation 
> infrastructureor suffer the economic and other costs of a neglected 
> highway system.
>
> ITD originally announced the permit fee for the GE/Omega Morgan 
> megaload at$5634, which spokesperson Adam Rush said was based on 355 
> miles and axle weight.The agency later corrected this number to $7706 
> for 488 miles and axle weight, and Rushtold the Idaho 
> Statesman,"No additional funds are due to the transportation 
> department,and the posting of a bond is not required."
>
> Thus Idahoans will not only experience inconvenience and risks to 
> personal safetywithmegaloads in Idaho, but we'll also pay for these 
> megaloads at least three times:prior towhen an overlegal permit is 
> issued, during weeks of the megaload's actualtravel in the form of 
> public agency support, and in the future for accelerated costs 
> ofpavement and bridge repair and replacement. This is a best case 
> scenario. Dumping aload into an Idaho river, busting one of those 84 
> bridges, or delaying the arrival of astroke or heart attack victim at 
> an emergency room could be much more costly.
>
> For giant corporations and heavy-haul transport companies, Idaho's 
> state government
>
> is truly a gift that keeps on giving---with taxpayers picking up the tab.
>
> Linwood Laughy
>
> Kooskia, Idaho
>
>
> ---------------------------------
>
> Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .
>
> "Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
> http://www.MoscowCares.com <http://www.moscowcares.com/>
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
>
> "This is the 'Mouse that Roared,' 'David and Goliath' and 'Avatar' all 
> rolled into one.  We must remember that the thousands of citizens 
> involved in this effort to protect their personal and family safety, 
> their businesses and their lifestyles are confronting some of the 
> largest international corporations in the world."
>
> - Linwood Laughy
>
>
>
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