[Vision2020] Oversized loads eyed for U.S. Highway 95

[Tom Hansen]

This just in regarding US-95, Idaho's . . . 

"Highway to Hell"
http://www.tomandrodna.com/Songs/Highway_to_Hell.mp3

Courtesy of today's (December 4, 2014) Lewiston Tribune.

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Oversized loads eyed for U.S. Highway 95
Trucking company asking Idaho to allow 129,000-pound trucks between Fruitland and Grangeville
A southern Idaho trucking firm wants a 178-mile section of U.S. Highway 95 from Fruitland to Grangeville designated for 129,000-pound trucks.
The Idaho Transportation Department will hold hearings this month in Riggins and Payette to take public comment on the proposal.
The request was submitted by Arlo G. Lott Trucking of Jerome, Idaho.
The company has asked that the entire highway from Fruitland to Lewiston be designated for 129,000-pound trucks. The Idaho Transportation Board already approved the heavier loads on the Grangeville-to-Lewiston section of the highway during its September meeting.
In its application, Arlo Trucking indicates it would be shipping lumber and grain on the highway. It estimates the annual number of trips at 1,100.
The state's analysis of the application found the Council-to-Grangeville section of U.S. Highway 95 now has a 95-foot restriction on overall truck length, as well as a 5.5-foot limit on how far a truck can extend outside the roadway on tight curves.
Those restrictions may temporarily prevent shippers from carrying the maximum 129,000-pound loads, according to the state. However, there are some highway improvement projects scheduled over the next few years that could address the problem areas and eventually allow trucks as much as 115 feet in length.
Transportation department staff members will be at the hearings to answer questions. There will also be an opportunity to provide written or verbal testimony.
The Riggins meeting takes place from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Riggins Community Center, 121 S. Lodge St.
The Payette hearing takes place from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Payette Library, 24 S. 10th St.
A copy of the application can be found on the transportation department's website, at itd.idaho.gov, by clicking on the "129,000 lbs. Truck Routes" link on the main page. Anyone who wants to submit comments before or after the hearings can do so by visiting the website.
The comment deadline is Jan. 5, after which the state transportation board subcommittee will review the application and make a recommendation to the full transportation board.
In addition to highway improvement projects in central Idaho, the state announced plans Wednesday to resurface and repair 11 bridges in the north central part of the state.
All of the bridges are between 15 and 60 years old.
The intent is to extend the life of the structures and preserve their driving surface. Cracks in the bridge decks will be sealed, and the structures will receive concrete or epoxy overlays to protect and seal the driving surface.
The work is scheduled to begin in 2016, depending on the availability of funding.
The bridges include the Arrow Gulch, Little Potlatch Creek and Big Bear Creek bridges on State Highway 3, as well as the Palouse River Bridge at Harvard on State Highway 6 and Arrow Bridge on U.S. Highway 12.
On U.S. 95, two Lapwai Creek bridges, the Lawyers Canyon, John Day Creek and Goff Creek bridges, and the U.S. 95/U.S. 12 interchange bridge are also part of the project.

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Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" 
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
 
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