SYRINGA - Neither protesters nor a lawsuit filed late Thursday could stop an oversized load transporting equipment through Idaho on U.S. Highway 12 bound for the tar sands in Alberta, Canada.

The megaload, along with its entourage of Idaho State Police troopers, ambulance, tractor-trailer laden with equipment and numerous pilot vehicles, left the turnout off of U.S. Highway 12 at Syringa Thursday night to a yell of "hell no megaloads," from Bill Sedivy of Idaho Rivers United.

"If we don't stop this one, we gotta keep coming back," he said as the load rolled past the Syringa Cafe and River Dance Lodge. "If we don't stop this one, we will stop the next one."

Farther up Highway 12 east of Lowell, carloads of protesters drove up and down the highway, hoping to slow the oversized load's progress at turnouts on the side of the road.

"The intent is to keep the load from getting to Montana," said LouAnn McCune of Riggins. "We're going to do what we can to slow it down. We want to let them know we're here and we're hoping the courts and the Forest Service do the right thing. Rivers are the lifeblood of Idaho."

As one group gathered at a turnout near milepost 112, a state police trooper drove by to warn them that there would be zero tolerance for trying to stop the megaload.

The lawsuit filed Thursday by the Nez Perce Tribe and environmental group Idaho Rivers United against the Forest Service seeking to stop the Omega Morgan megaload also didn't put a halt to the big rig Thursday night.

Short of a police or court order, the rig's driver told Sedivy he had no plans to stop hauling evaporator equipment through the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest to Montana.

Sedivy handed a copy of the lawsuit filing to crews from hauling company Omega Morgan shortly before the load was scheduled to depart from Syringa at around 9 p.m. A few minutes later, between 50 and 60 people who had gathered to protest the load watched as it drove by them.

Barb and Gary Lane of Riggins, members of Idaho Rivers United, said the group plans to keep protesting until Omega Morgan stops sending megaloads up the corridor.

"It was a surprise to see they were back at it," Gary Lane said, regarding the approval of the latest megaload. "We thought it was over, but it's never over with the oil companies."

Back in Syringa, two neighbors on either side of the issue await the court's decision in Boise regarding the future of megaload shipments in the Highway 12 corridor.

Despite knee surgery, Terry Jackson in his "I survived the megaloads, what's next Chicken Little" T-shirt, came down to see the megaload that had spent the night in his turnout. Jackson's land is not included in the Wild and Scenic River corridor easement.

"It's the American way," he said beneath his sign reading "Megaloads: Keeping Idaho $Green$" sign.

Fifty feet away, Owen Fiorei watched the shipments he opposes continue on.

"We're just trying to have wild and scenic mean something," Fiorei said.

Regarding the latest suit he said the tribe has valid concerns and he worries that loads will just keep coming because the companies involved "don't care."

Fellow neighbor and megaloads proponent Becky Brotnov said that despite the varying viewpoints, the two sides are cordial, agreeing to disagree. With more shipments slated, she said everyone involved is just learning to cope with the shipments and the controversy swirling around them.

"It's a trial-and-error situation," she said.

The 21-foot-wide, 23-foot-high, 255-foot-long and 644,000-pound load is one of 10 that transport company Omega Morgan of Hillsboro, Ore., wants to take across the winding Idaho highway between now and the end of January.

Olga Haley, a spokeswoman with the transport company, said she couldn't comment on when the next megaload will be barged upriver to Lewiston.

"Omega Morgan is focused on getting the first one delivered safely," she said.

Protests attempting to slow the load Thursday appeared to mirror similar events Wednesday night, and were a far cry from similar rallies that closed the road Monday and Tuesday nights east of Lewiston.

Early Tuesday morning protesters blocked the shipment for nearly two hours just before it entered the Nez Perce Reservation. Twenty people were arrested and are facing charges of disorderly conduct. Among them were eight members of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee.

Late Tuesday night, protestors stopped the shipment again for about 15 minutes then slowed it for hours more. Another 11 were arrested.

No arrests were made Wednesday night. Protesters did attempt to slow the load at Canoe Camp at Orofino, but Idaho State Police troopers and Nez Perce Tribal Police were able to move the crowd of about 100 back and the megaload accelerated past.

Troopers used the megaload essentially as a rolling road block from that point forward, preventing the protesters from pulling ahead and again attempting to slow progress. That conflicted with the travel permit issued by the state calling for the rig to pull over every 15 minutes to allow traffic to pass.

Drivers of the megaload appeared to abide by the 15-minute rule Thursday night, pulling over twice by the time it reached Lowell and the Three Rivers Campground.

Once the load reaches the Montana border it is cleared to continue its journey through that state. The Montana Department of Transportation issued a permit Wednesday allowing the oversized load to travel through northwestern Montana and into Canada.

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Gaboury may be contacted at kgaboury@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2275. Follow him on Twitter @KevinGaboury.

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Brown may be contacted at dbrown@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2278.