Warmer temperatures have made it possible for the first of three “megaloads” to get back on the road.
The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin reported that warmer daytime temperatures nearing 40 degrees have allowed the megaload to continue its route south over Battle Mountain pass toward Ukiah on Tuesday. The massive shipment of oil refinery equipment bound for Canada had been stalled since Dec. 3 due to snow and ice.
The 22-foot-wide, 380-foot-long load is only permitted to move at night, and only when driving conditions are clear, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. Regional spokesman Tom Strandberg said crews assessed the route to make sure it was safe to travel. Omega Morgan, the Hillsboro-based trucking company, is moving the load.
From Ukiah, the convoy will make its way east into Idaho before heading north through Montana to its final destination at the oil sands region of Alberta, Canada, according to the Union-Bulletin story.
Climate activists and members of the local Umatilla tribes have protested the megaloads using Oregon highways as a corridor to the oil sands, which they argue contributes significantly to global warming.
Three protesters were arrested in two nights trying to block the load from departing the Port of Umatilla and delayed the rig Dec. 1.
Read the full story on the Union-Bulletin website.
