Tuesday, January 7, 2014

ISP to Provide Megaload Travel Updates and Traffic Safety Reminders via Twitter

IDAHO STATE POLICE NEWS RELEASE - generated by our News Release ListServer
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IDAHO STATE POLICE NEWS RELEASE
Teresa Baker
Public Information Officer
Headquarters
700 S. Stratford Dr., Meridian 83642
(208) 884-7122
Fax (208) 884-7087

For Immediate Release: 1/7/13 at 11:15 a.m.

MERIDIAN - The Idaho State Police Regional Communications Center that covers southern Idaho, as well as county dispatch centers, have been inundated with calls from the public and the media with questions about the location the Omega Morgan or "Megaload" equipment shipment. In an effort to keep the public better informed as to where the shipments are parked during the daylight hours, ISP will post the information every morning on its Twitter account at @IdahoStPolice.

The easy access to the information is being provided with the hope that the public will get the information that they desire to view the shipments, while keeping ISP and county sheriff dispatch phone lines open for emergency communications.

The Idaho Transportation Department issued permits to Omega Morgan for two shipments of equipment that have traveled along southern and eastern Idaho highways over the past two weeks. The shipments are permitted to travel during the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. with weather and road conditions permitting. Information will NOT be updated as the shipment is in progress, when the shipment will begin movement or how far the shipment is expected to travel each night. This information is constantly changing as the shipment moves and there are too many factors continuously at play to report the information accurately.

The first shipment did not travel on Monday night and is currently located on State Highway 93 at milepost 341 at the Lost Trail Pass north of Gibbonsville. The second shipment traveled from the junction of State Highways 78 and 51 west of Hammett to US Highway 20 at milepost 126 near Cat Creek Summit east of Mountain Home.

When stopped the shipments are pulled completely off of the roadway. The safety of the public is the top priority of law enforcement at those locations. The public is reminded to obey all traffic laws and to use common sense when stopping to view or photograph trucks. This includes onlookers staying off of the highway while on foot, pulling completely off of the roadway to photo the equipment from a vehicle and using extreme caution when leaving or reentering the highway. Please use a vehicle turnout when turning around and do not make a u-turn on a highway.

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