When I was a kid, I discovered a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip that posed one of my own burning questions: How do they know the load limit on bridges? Calvin’s dad (incorrectly) tells him, “They drive bigger and bigger trucks over it until it breaks. Then they weigh the last truck and rebuild the bridge.”

The North Dakota Supreme Court has ruled in favor of pipeline company Summit Carbon Solutions in a dispute with landowners over the right to access properties to survey the land.

The ruling released Thursday affirms a lower court ruling that the pipeline company did not need permission from landowners before accessing property to determine a possible route.