The Washington state Department of Transportation is planning a $16.3 million project to relocate the weigh station at the Washington-Idaho state line on Interstate 90 to improve traffic flow at the nearby Idaho Road interchange and to update the technology used at the site, so fewer trucks will have to stop at the scales.


Plans call for the weigh station to be moved about a half-mile west and to have its own dedicated freeway exit.


The DOT expects to seek bids for the project this winter and to begin work next spring. It would take about two years to complete, spokesman Al Gilson says.


Gilson says a primary reason for moving the station is that currently trucks must use the Idaho Road interchange to exit to the weigh station, creating traffic congestion. He says the department already owns the property it plans to use for the new station.


The new weigh station is to include a weigh-in-motion system that will allow trucks to be weighed while they are traveling at highway speeds on I-90, eliminating the need for them to stop at the scales unless they are directed to do so, Gilson says.


Another feature the DOT expects to include in the new weigh station is called the North American Preclearance and Safety System (NORPASS), which was developed by a partnership of state and Canadian provincial agencies and trucking industry representatives. NORPASS-equipped weigh stations allow the Washington State Patrol to access information about a truck via an electronic database. Freight carriers that participate in NORPASS mount a transponder in their trucks, and a roadside reader checks the trucks credentials. The driver of the truck sees a green light on the transponder if it can proceed without stopping at the scales, or a red light signaling him or her to stop. Currently, there are 11 NORPASS-enabled weigh stations in Washington state, including two in southeast Washington on Interstate 82.


Gilson says the state line weigh station here must be relocated in order to accommodate the new systems, along with a planned inspection building and additional parking for vehicles. The current station is too close to the border for the department to install the sensors needed for the WIM system, he says.


Contact Jeanne Gustafson at (509) 344-1264 or via e-mail at jeanneg@spokanejournal.com.