It will likely be Monday when the ‘super load’ parked in Trigg County will begin making its slow trek into Tennessee as it heads toward Mississippi.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials say the super load remains parked near the Wallonia community in Trigg County. At this time, the crew anticipates being on the road sometime around 9 a.m., Monday.
The load has a permit to move from a parking spot at Seven Springs Farms southward along KY 276 to U.S. 68, then travel west on U.S. 68 to Cadiz where it will take South Road into Tennessee. The Tennessee Department of Transportation is in the process of approving permits for a travel route along mostly two-lane highways through west Tennessee into Mississippi.
The 195 ft. long truck with a 19-axle trailer is escorted by about a dozen support vehicles. It is hauling an over-dimensional, almost 200-ton load from near Cincinnati, OH, to Aberdeen, Mississippi. Due to the 17 ft. – 6 inch height of the load, the truck has to move along mostly rural routes to avoid highway and interstate overpasses that normally have a 15 ft. – 6 inch clearance.
The multi-axle truck normally averages about 5 to 10 miles per hour on the road.
Due to the width and height of the load, the effort required by support crews to help the super load maneuver creates significant traffic delays, particularly going through cities where utility lines and traffic signals may have to be raised to allow it to pass. Motorists who encounter the load on the road should use appropriate caution and follow directions of the escort crew and police.