VENANGO/MERCER CO., Pa. — The massive superload being transported from West Milton, New York, to Wampum, Pennsylvania, traveled through Venango and Mercer Counties on Thursday night.
(Photos video by Dave Cyphert of ProPoint Media Photography.)
The load left O’Neil’s Service on US 322 in the Kossuth area near the Venango County border around 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 20.
It traveled through Franklin on US 322, then turned onto State Route 62. From Route 62, it turned onto State Route 173 in Mercer County, traveling through Sandy Lake, then continued onto Interstate 80 westbound.
It arrived at its overnight destination on the PA-Ohio border in the early hours of the morning.
The superload is a total of 213 feet long and weighs a staggering 294 tons.
It has been moving as a rolling slowdown using two traffic lanes. The movement has resulted in some traffic stoppages and travel delays.
The majority of the transport, which was originally scheduled to be completed on January 23, has taken place and will continue to take place during nighttime hours.
Officials note movement could still be impacted or delayed again by any additional winter weather conditions.
The superload travel plan involves 16 counties and features ramp maneuvers, unusual traffic patterns, and slow-moving vehicles.
The superload is an empty fuel tank that was decommissioned 25 years ago from a D1G Prototype reactor at the U.S. Naval Nuclear Laboratory’s Kenneth A. Kesselring Site in West Milton, New York. The journey across the state began on January 12 and will conclude at Alaron Nuclear Services in Wampum, Lawrence County, where the fuel tank will be disassembled and recycled.
Perkins Specialized Transportation Contracting of Becker, Minnesota, is transporting the load.
Drivers are being warned to remain alert for this slow-moving, two-lane operation, which is traveling at the posted speed limit or approximately 30 mph—whichever is lower.
Department updates on the superload’s travel can be followed on social media with the #PAsuperload22 hashtag.
