Drivers should prepare for a series superloads that will be making their way through Oregon this summer, according to transportation officials.
According to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), thirty-one superloads will be transported between the Port of Morrow and the Idaho border throughout the summer, with the first load starting its journey on June 18 and the rest of the loads to come throughout the next three months (scheduling is flexible and subject to change).
Industrial service provider Omega Morgan will be moving the loads.
Officials say that the superloads will travel 10 to 30 m.p.h. along segments of U.S. 730, OR 37, I-84 in Pendleton, U.S. 395, U.S. 26, and OR 201. Each will exit Oregon into Idaho via OR 201, south of Adrian.
“Oversized loads will travel from the Port of Morrow through Pilot Rock during nighttime hours and continue from Pilot Rock to the Idaho border during both daytime and nighttime hours. The loads will be parked off the roadway when not traveling. The size of each shipment will require the use of both travel lanes on two-lane highways, resulting in delays. Traffic will be stopped at regular intervals with pilot cars guiding the loads. They pull over at designated sites to let waiting vehicles pass,” ODOT said.
As part of the preparation process for the superloads, contractors will be in John Day on Friday, June 20, to raise the traffic signals to allow the trucks to pass through without needing to stop.
In the state of Oregon, a superload is defined as an oversized load that meets one or more of the following:
- Over 16 feet wide on the Interstate.
- Over 14 feet wide on any state two-lane highway. This does not include mobiles with a 14 foot box or less and up to a 12 inch eave.
- Over 17 feet high on any highway.
- Mobile with a box width over 14 feet wide and/or overall width greater than 15 feet.
- Overall length greater than 150 feet.
You can view a map of the route at this link.
