Motorists should expect nighttime delays of up to 20 minutes starting Monday, June 5, and continuing through mid-June on various Eastern Oregon highways and local roads.
The Oregon Department of Transportation in a press release reported these delays will accommodate an oversized transport scheduled to travel during eight evenings as it moves from the Port of Umatilla to the Idaho border. The shipment consists of boiler equipment traveling 10-30 mph along segments of highways 730 and 37 and Interstate 84 in Pendleton, and highways 395, 26, 20, 78, 95 and other roads in Umatilla, Grant, Harney and Malheur counties.
The massive cargo exits Oregon into Idaho via Highway 95 north of Jordan Valley.
The total transport trailer and push/pull vehicles will be 217 feet long, 23.5 feet wide and 26.5 feet tall. The cargo itself is about 44 feet long. Because of the overall height of the load it is not scheduled to travel on Interstate 84, except for the short section in Pendleton between exits 207 and 209. The 357,000-pound freight contains no hazardous materials, fuels or liquids.
The oversize load will travel during nighttime hours to reduce affecting other highway users. It will not move during snow, ice, fog or other hazardous conditions and will be parked off the road when it is not traveling. Because the movement of this load is weather-dependent, the travel dates may change.
The size of the shipment will require it to use both travel lanes on two-lane highways, resulting in delays. Traffic will be stopped at regular intervals with pilot cars in front of and behind the load informing the movers when to pull over at designated sites to let waiting vehicles pass.
ODOT will post traffic impact data on TripCheck.com while the equipment is moving along Oregon highways. Motorists should check this site for updates. ODOT may list additional information on the ODOT Region 5 website at www.tinyurl.com/odot-region5.
