Megaloads may come through Kalispell
It’s possible megaloads could be rumbling through Kalispell soon.
Calumet Montana Refining wants to ship three pieces of a massive refinery machine known as a hydrocracker from Stockton, Calif., to Great Falls.
The company contracted to move the pieces, Mammoet USA South, has proposed a path through Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint, Idaho, before entering Montana on Montana 200.
Duane Williams, Montana Motor Carrier division administrator, said the route hadn’t been decided. Idaho must approve its portion separately from Montana.
“They have proposed going from Coeur d’Alene to Missoula over I-90, but there are concerns with shutting down the interstate,” he said. “Other options would be up through Kalispell on Highway 2 and down Highway 93 to either Missoula or over the Swan (Highway).”
The loads will be 441 feet long, 27 feet wide, 16 feet high and will weigh 1.6 million pounds.
Because of the weight, the load haulers intend to avoid highway bypasses and older bridges.
A proposed route would squeeze the load along Montana 200 and up Montana 56 into Lincoln County.
It could then head east on U.S. 2 into Kalispell. The underpass on U.S. 2 in Kalispell and the roundabouts on U.S. 93 Alternate Route could mean the loads would go through the city center.
“It comes down to us to give them approval,” Williams said. “But we just don’t know yet.”
From Kalispell, the megaloads could travel down the west side of Flathead Lake and on to Missoula and Interstate 90. Or the loads could go down U.S. 83 to Montana 200 and then on to Great Falls.
Calumet plans to use the hydrocracker to process Canadian oil sands shipped down the United States.
The machine takes heavier, low-quality gas oils and “cracks” the molecules with the help of hydrogen and a catalyst.
This produces crude oil that can be converted to jet fuel, diesel and gasoline, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The pieces are part of a larger expansion by Calumet Montana, which aims to use the hydrocracker to create low-sulfur diesel.
Oil sands are naturally occurring mixtures of sand, clay and water containing a dense form of petroleum known as bitumen (also known as tar). Alberta has oil-sand fields containing an estimated 173 billions of barrels of bitumen.
The pieces of the hydrocracker could roll through Kalispell sometime in the next few months, depending on state approval. Travel for the behemoths would be restricted to between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and the speed would be limited to 30 to 35 mph.
According to the Bonner County Daily Bee, traffic on four-lane highways would be led by a pilot vehicle around the transports while traffic on two-lane highways (such as U.S. 2 west of Kalispell and U.S. 93 to Missoula) could be stopped for up to 15-minute intervals as the trucks roll by.
Not much more is known about the possible megaloads, and Williams said not much more will be known until Mammoet submits a permit request to use the roads.
From there, the Montana Department of Transportation will look at possible routes and determine places the 800-ton loads might cause damage.
Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.