ITD Seeks Public Input on Megaloads

BOISE, Idaho (KLIX) Idaho Transportation officials are seeking the public's thoughts on proposed rules for mega loads that travel a particular section of highway in the state.

The Idaho Transportation Department is holding a public hearing on September 28 on rules that would control large shipments on a portion of U.S. 12. The hearing will take place between 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the ITD headquarters in Boise at 3311 W. State Street. Citizens will be able to view the hearing by video conference in Shoshone, Lewiston, Pocatello and Rigby.

The hearing will allow people to give their input on rules that would set conditions for non-reducible, oversize loads traveling U.S. 12 into Montana. According to ITD legal action in 2013 resulted in a decision that said the U.S. Forest Service must regulate oversized loads going through the Clearwater National Forest.

ITD says these are some of the parts of the rules that the public can comment on:

•  Exceed 16 feet in width or 150 feet in length
• - Require longer than 12 hours to travel through the Wild and Scenic River Corridor and National Forest (the section of U.S. 12 that is from Milepost 75.2 to Milepost 174.4)
• - Require physical modification of the roadway or adjacent vegetation to facilitate passage beyond normal highway maintenance.

Comment is being taken from Wednesday, Sept. 7, through Friday, Sept. 30. Comments can be emailed to Ramon Hobdey-Sanchez at ramon.hobdey-sanchez@itd.idaho.gov, mailed to Idaho Transportation Department, Attn: Ramon Hobdey-Sanchez, P.O. Box 7129, Boise, ID  83707, or submitted over the phone by calling Hobdey-Sanchez at (208) 334-8810.

For more on the hearing visit ITD information page.