Regional Public Journalism

Foul Weather, Not Protesters, Cause Latest Delay For Megaload

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File photo. The The megaload being moved by Omega Morgan takes up two highway lanes and stretches 380 feet.
Jessica Robinson

A so-called megaload is stuck just a few miles south of Pendleton on it’s winding route through the Northwest.

But it’s foul weather, rather than protesters, that’s causing the latest delay for an extra large shipment of oil equipment in eastern Oregon.

Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Tom Strandberg says it’s not clear when the vehicle will be able to move again.

"They can’t move when there’s snow, ice or foggy conditions that would create hazards," he says. "And right now, we had quite a bit of snow dumped around the area, especially in the mountain passes.”

The megaload takes up two highway lanes and stretches 380 feet.

Protesters from across the region turned out for two nights in a row earlier in the week. Hillsboro, Oregon-based shipper Omega Morgan plans another two megaload shipments sometime this winter, bound for the oil sands of Alberta, Canada.

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Anna King calls Richland, Washington home and loves unearthing great stories about people in the Northwest. She reports for the Northwest News Network from a studio at Washington State University, Tri-Cities. She covers the Mid-Columbia region, from nuclear reactors to Mexican rodeos.