COLUMBUS – The first of nearly two dozen extremely large truck loads, known as “super loads,” are scheduled to begin traveling from the Ohio River in southwest Ohio to central Ohio Wednesday.
The loads, most of which are associated with the future Intel semiconductor facilities will arrive by barge at Manchester, in Adams County and will be trucked by semi to either New Albany or Hebron, Ohio Department of Transportation director Jack Marchbanks said.
The loads will not contain any hazardous material but some of them will be 270 feet long and will weigh 900,000 pounds.
Each oversized and overweight load will take approximately 8 to 15 days to reach its destination via a predetermined route. ODOT has analyzed and planned the route to make sure these super loads can be accommodated and, while no official closures or detours are planned, slow-rolling roadblocks will be necessary during transit, and Marchbanks says drivers should plan ahead for long delays along the route.
Since each load will be escorted by several Ohio State Highway Patrol cruisers.
Emergency traffic will be allowed to get around rolling roadblocks and obstructions along the route such as large overhead signs, traffic signals, and utility lines have been adjusted and moved, Marchbanks said.