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GREAT FALLS - An Idaho judge has put a temporary halt on a Conoco-Phillips plan to haul oversized loads through portions of Idaho and Montana, the same route that Exxon-Mobil plans to use for a similar project later this year.

Exxon-Mobil's plans include shipping more than 200 modules carrying oil refinery equipment along a route that leads through Missoula and Choteau and on to Alberta.

But at this point, it's unclear whether the judge's decision will impact those shipments.

In order to make way for the oversized loads, the company is paying for renovations to different parts of the route, including Choteau's main street.

NorthWestern Energy has already started putting in higher power poles, 3 Rivers Telephone Company has begun moving its power lines underground, and the city of Choteau has already begun negotiating with tree trimmers.

Some residents in western Montana have voiced opposition to the plan, but Choteau Mayor Jay Dunckel thinks it'll be good for the town.

"I think its just a faction of people that are trying to hold this up and I don't know on what basis," he noted. "I don't really understand their concerns. There's an awful lot of money connected with this thing and there's an awful lot of money being spent in town here right now."

Dunckel says with all the money the company is investing in maintenance and renovations, he can't imagine officials would stop its progress completely, adding that plans to continue renovation will move forward until further notice.

Montana Department of Transportation officials say their environmental review of Exxon-Mobil's proposal should be completed later this week and say thousands of Montanans have weighed in on the topic.