HELENA – A group that opposes an oil company’s plans to haul 200 huge loads of oil field equipment from Idaho and through northwestern Montana argues that the state didn’t adequately analyze the impact of the megaloads on the state’s bridges.
Zach Porter with the group All Against the Haul says two engineers, including the co-chair of the group, reviewed the bridge analyses performed by departments of transportation in Montana and Idaho. They found Idaho reviewed 14 different truck size and weight configurations while Montana analyzed one.
Lee Newspapers of Montana reports Porter presented the findings to a legislative interim committee on Wednesday.
Montana Transportation Director Jim Lynch told lawmakers the concerns raised by the group sound similar to those the state already addressed in its environmental assessment of the project.