The moving of windmill “superloads” on area roadways to their destination near Patton in Cambria County in coming weeks will necessitate much more than a modicum of patience and understanding by motorists who encounter them during their travels — to work, for medical and dental appointments, for recreational intentions, for household reasons, whatever.

Perhaps too much is being asked of those motorists who encounter them, and we’ll explain why later in this editorial.

For now, suffice to say that the size and length of superload caravans will not be conducive to traditional passing maneuvers, whether or not in designated passing zones.

They’re just very long, and they’re accompanied by escort vehicles both ahead of them and behind.

What the situation boils down to is this: Motorists will be at the mercy of whether operators of the superload vehicles have adequate space at times and the cooperative attitude and willingness to allow other vehicles to pass, so as not to create a moving traffic jam. If not, all that can be said is “good luck on getting to where you’re going, or where you have to be, on time.”

An example of where moving traffic jams are likely — and where, in fact, some already have occurred — is Route 220 between Pennsylvania’s border with Maryland and Interstate 99 at Bedford.

Since April, traffic on that section of highway has been stymied at times by long delays tied to a road improvement project that has had many motorists — including people going to work at businesses north and south — frustrated and angry over the prolonged delays they have encountered.

In discussions with others, some motorists have raised the question of why that project was not relegated to overnight hours when traffic on the two-lane roadway would be much lighter and presumably not affect people going to and from work.

Nighttime projects are completed successfully around places such as Pittsburgh. Can anyone imagine the chaos if nighttime work was impossible or not permitted there?

For project areas such as the one on Route 220, where there is one lane for northbound traffic and one for southbound travel, motorists, no matter where they are going, can be relegated to the status of prisoner by the industrial behemoths — and, indeed, already have experienced that.

Companies involved in the windmills project are poising themselves for the day when they can start making a profit from the new Patton area installation.

Other motorists have no such thoughts, except perhaps how much fuel they have burned during construction traffic stops on Route 220 since April, plus how much they might be destined to burn to accommodate the superloads.

For motorists who choose to opt for a lengthy detour to avoid Route 220 in the weeks and months ahead, there is the issue of vehicle wear-and-tear — regardless of how minimal that to others might seem.

Then there also is the inconvenience — fueled by uncertainty — of having to leave home earlier in the morning for who knows how long.

Overnight transportation of the big windmill components through routes such as the southern leg of Route 220 would be welcomed by the daily traveling public, eliminating plenty of anxiety, as well as potential problems at work for arriving late.

Business and industrial vehicles have a right to use roadways of the commonwealth, just like anyone else — and it is true that those vehicles routinely adhere to established weight, height, width and cargo restrictions.

A polite suggestion to the state Department of Transportation and the companies moving superloads, though, is that they re-calibrate their thought processes before making avoidable decisions that impose excessive hardships on others.

— Altoona Mirror