Monster Trucks
Big Wheels Keep on Turning?
Some 200 trucks pulling gargantuan loads could roll through Missoula en route to a Canada oil field. Who's pumped?
By Amy Linn, 1-12-10
Let’s talk big traffic.
Big, as in a truck pulling a 24-foot-high “module” that is 54 yards long, nearly 10 yards high, and weighs 220 tons—the equivalent of about 40 elephants.
Big, as in rigs so tall they won’t fit under highway overpasses; so wide they take up two traffic lanes; and so ponderous, their top speed is 30 mph.
Big, as in the roads they travel would have to be modified so the modules don’t snap overhead power lines and take out traffic lights.
Which leads to a potentially large problem for Montana—or at the very least a big deal. Because the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is considering a proposal that would allow as many as 200 of the jumbo loads to roll down Montana roads and highways—including across Rogers Pass, in winter—during a 12-to-18 month period that could start late this year.
The trucks and trailers would be moving specialized, non-toxic mining equipment from Korea, where it’s made, to the Kearl oil sands project in northeastern Alberta, Canada. The project by operator Imperial Oil and its parent company ExxonMobil Canada aims to produce more than 300,000 barrels of bitumen—extra heavy oil—per day. The first stage, with an output of about 100,000 barrels per day, is slated to start in 2012.
Imperial spokesman Pius Rolheiser said the company has spent about two years looking at the most cost-effective way to get the prefabricated equipment from Korea, and the Montana route is the best option.
Incredulity has followed.
“It sounds pretty goofy to me,” said Missoula County Commissioner Jean Curtiss, who heard about the monster-rig plan when Imperial made a presentation to the county commission six weeks ago. The oil company’s proposal involves one or two trucks per day rumbling through Missoula and down Reserve Street between midnight and 4 a.m. at 5-to-30 mph., potentially creating traffic migraines or worse. Thus, Imperial has given briefings to local officials all along the route.
“They’re having these [module] units made in Korea and shipping them across the ocean,” said Curtiss. “They get to Portland, then go up the Columbia River and up the Snake River to Lewiston, Idaho. Then they get trucked up Lolo Pass, through Missoula, and over Rogers Pass. They swear this is the cheapest way they can do this. But it just blows my mind that they can’t figure out how to build these things in Canada.”
According to Imperial, a majority of modules for the Kearl oil sands site will indeed be made in Canada, but these particular prefabs—filled with things like over-sized piping—are high quality and at the right price, even with the shipping costs.
As to one of Curtiss’ concerns—“Think of what would happen if they hit ice on Rogers Pass?” she asked—Imperial says the trucking will be carried out by Mammoet, a global outfit with plenty of experience hauling “high-wide” loads safely through icy Canada.
“Obviously, the safety of the people transporting the equipment and the safety of the public are paramount,” said spokesman Rolheiser. “If we didn’t think it was safe, we wouldn’t do it.”
The MDT, which has the ultimate authority to approve the idea, will be the final judge. Agency director Jim Lynch said Imperial won’t get a green light unless it follows state laws and regulations, mitigates traffic problems, and proves that roads and bridges won’t be damaged, among other matters. Lynch said MDT has also asked the oil company to do an environmental review.
“It’s important that they [Imperial] recognize they have to follow Montana environmental law and address the impacts, and that they discuss the plans with communities to make sure communities are least impacted,” Lynch said.
Imperial will cover the costs of the process. And the company will need to make hundreds of tweaks to the route before the monster loads can pass through Montana and Missoula without crushing or crashing into things. According to a recent briefing with Missoula County commissioners, Imperial plans to:
-- Relocate utility lines at about 230 crossings and place 77 of them underground.
-- Make 16 fixes on Reserve Street, moving signs and traffic signals.
-- Build or modify dozens of turnouts so the rigs can pull over to let traffic pass, in compliance with a state law that says traffic can’t be held up for more than 10 minutes.
It’s a safe bet, though, that even a 10-minute hold-up won’t be welcomed by drivers if the 48-tire trucks start crawling along.
The first stage of the proposed Montana route starts on Highway 12 at the Idaho border and goes to the Lolo Weigh Scale at the junction of Highway 93, where the rigs would park. Total travel: 33 miles over 2.5 hours, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., with traffic stopped and cleared at the top and bottom of Lolo Pass as the modules execute the hill.
From Lolo, the rigs would travel 22.8 miles on Highway 93, up Reserve Street to Interstate 90. Total travel: 22.8 miles, from midnight to 4 a.m., with traffic stopped while the modules cross eight bridges at 5 mph, en route to a stop at a Highway 200 turnout in Milltown.
Finally, the modules would tackle 105 miles from Highway 200 through Lincoln and over Rogers Pass, parking just before the junction of Highway 287. In subsequent days the loads would travel through Choteau and Cut Bank to Alberta and the Kearl project site in the Athabasca oil sands,
northeast of Fort McMurray.
A Montana test run could be held as early as this summer, officials say.
And if the Imperial plan wins approval?
“Some of our hot-headed Montana drivers will be beating on their steering wheels, so there’ll be a learning curve,” predicted Capt. Tom Hamilton of the Montana State Highway Patrol. Imperial intends to use the Highway Patrol (and reimburse it) for escorting the modules and helping with other safety measures. The company “seems to have this thing down to a science,” Hamilton said.
Imperial, for its part, hopes that after the first few modules rumble through town, people won’t even gawk when they see them.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the first couple of them drew some onlookers,” said Rolheiser. “But we’d hope it would quickly become routine.”
No need to get in a turf battle with our friendly neighbor Canada over their use of Montana roads. After all we buy a lot of oil from their tar sands and I'm sure that they are willing to pay for the inconvenience and labor cost involved. Make love and gasoline not war.
Comment By Mr. Twister, 1-12-10ya right, where I live, wide, heavy stuff has been hauled steady these past few years. things like sacred wind turbines and weird looking mining stuff to and from Canada. The roads are in rough shape...you can see indentations in both lanes and this goes on several days a wk in season. The roads are being torn up and the delays suck. I can't believe they can't make that stuff cheaper here on this continent, and if not, so what. We don't owe them a dime.
Comment By Mickey Garcia, 1-12-10Charge them for extra wear and tear on roads they use.
Comment By Mr. Twister, 1-13-10No, get off the road. What they propose is unreasonable and at a million a mile or better I don't think we owe them our roads. Find a better way.
Comment By Mickey Garcia, 1-13-10If you'd rather fight with your neighbors instead of arranging a fair deal, good luck with that. What goes around, comes around.
Comment By Mr. Twister, 1-13-10Imperial Oil and ExxonMobil Canada are not my neighbors, Canada and Mexico are. Nice dodge though. Tell us again why its a good idea to ruin or roads so multi national corps. can exploit cheap overseas labor to profit at our expense both in jobs and infristructure.
Comment By Mickey Garcia, 1-13-10Its always better to do business than fester with petty resentment. Montana's got the roads they want to use and they've got the money to pay for the road's improvement. An opportunity for a win win.
Comment By Dave Skinner, 1-15-10Don't get all in a twister, for crah...
These things aren't going to wreck the roads. The axle loadings and bridge-law distribution make sure of that. The issue here is the utter bulk of these structures and the lack of overpasses on the route.
The Canuckistanians have "wildlife overpasses" and whatnot on 1, I'm presume the Yellowhead route and Jasper have the same. The only way in is through the port at Lewiston-Clarkston (about to be dried supposedly for salmon). I've been on almost every mile and I don't remember driving "under" anything from L-Cton all the way to Cut Bank.
i'm familiare with bridging specs having spent many years dealing with heavy loads. The fact remains, heavy loads wear out roads faster. It is a fact. Good will and commerce are fine but that does not alter the facts. 220 tons spanning 54 feet is going to significantly effect the life of the road surface. I don't need to debate this fact. If you want more info call the DOT engineers. The argument is simply how much do we charge for the increased wear and tear on the roads. I say, find another way because I don't trust the gov to protect my interests.
Comment By lfehl, 2-02-10Montana DOT needs to map out the condition and cross-section specs of the roads and bridges they are proposing to use and make sure that 1) their cross section can handle it and 2) make sure the areas that Imperial is going to replace are identified up front, with an agreement for additional damage. I can't imagine the entire routwe already has the structural integrity to survive this type of load. If citizens are left with roads that break apart in two years because the cracking started with this event, shame on DOT. the damage may not be visible right away.
I seem to recall many a time waiting for a combine to roll down a road in the summer, so while the delays are annoying, not unusual in Montana. Road construction is one of the 3 seasons. My concern is just the wear and tear on the infrastrucutre that MOntana has a hard time affording the upkeep on already.
Anybody have an underutilized manufacturing plant closer that wants to undercut the Koreans? Here's your opportunity.
its not about money here.
Comment By Buttrot, 2-16-10We should view this as an opportunity to improve our highways. We have these companies over a barrel. They want to use our roads. We should be able to extract a pretty penny from them to build better and safer highways. A divided four-lane along the Lochsa would be a good place to start.
Comment By mikebrown666, 3-04-10Has an Albertan with a stake in the oilsands and possible future employment building it, I take great exception to this plan. Roads are fixable, and I'm sure the amount of money Montana and Idaho will be given will be more than enough to cover it. These modules are hauled down the road on trailers with sometimes hundreds of tires, the weight distribution and speeds involved will cause minimal damages.
Here in Alberta we ship modules like this all the time - which is why I take great exception to this plan. The work force is here, much of it waiting to build modules. Edmonton has modules yards sitting empty. Cheaper to build these things in Korea, ship them half way around the world and a few thousand Km's of roads than ship them 500km from Edmonton to Fort Mac. More politicians selling our souls to the corporations. The drive to maximize already inflated profits is killing the construction industry in North America. Some projects in North Alberta already fly in temporary foreign workers to assemble these modules - more local jobs lost.
Lots of luck. I believe Montana should be paid plenty for the use of their roads and potential damage that is sure to happen even when the weight is distributed evenly.
Comment By Mike, 4-28-10Harley: Yes, even though it might not seem like it from my previous comment, Montana should be paid quite well for the use of their roads by Corporations. Maybe if Corporations all over North America actually paid their fair share of taxes then we all would have better roads, education and health-care. Making a billion or more dollars of profit per quarter should be almost criminal.
Comment By Dan Thomson, 5-27-10Inregards to the statement I can't believe they don't figure out away to build mods in Canada. They do and for years have. This is the new way of not paying pensions benifits etc to Canadians and Americans who have worked on these projects. We have many vacant mod yards in Edmonton rite now while these things are being built in Korea. Serious money is being thrown around here but not to the benifit of working men and women.
Comment By Vern, 6-08-10As a Albertan these modules have been built for the last fithteen years we have the skilled trades and equipment
the only reason to build them in Korea is cheap labour no safety for workers There have been accidents with these loads, a
semi-truck hit one closed the highway 63 for 2 days.remember many trucks travel at night bringing you groceries, mail, newspapers, how are emergency services going to get through when there is no available pull-out. I have travelled the proposed route , Its beautiful country , don"t allow this these trucks thru
it WILL be a permanent route once you open the door. these trucks will be travelling very very slow, we have open highways and they cause backlogs in traffic.