Drivers are being warned to expect delays on Sunday as an abnormal load makes its way from Port Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire to St Neots in Cambridgeshire.
Detailed negotiations between hauliers, police and council officials have taken place to ensure safe delivery the trailer that is 70m long and 5.5m wide.
Think of 30 cars split into two lanes and you have some idea about the logistics, says the hauliers.
Colletts who are responsible for the delivery said it was essential people were aware of what’s happening and to enable motorists to consider amending their travel plans.
Being moved is an 180,000 kgs Super Grid Transformer (SGT) from the Port at Sutton Bridge to the National Grid Substation at Eaton Socon.
Liam McLoughlin, head of projects at Collett, said “The planning of this particular delivery and subsequent installation/site work (by Collett Heavy Lift) started in the summer of 2018”
“The transformer has been acquired and will form part of the connection between the Eaton Socon and Little Barford Substations”
“The overall project will see equipment from the 1960’s replaced. This in turn will increase the capacity and help better secure the supply of electricity to homes and businesses in the Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire areas”
He said: “The early portion of the route is a tried and tested Heavy Route, with deliveries made recently to Spalding Power Station. However, the latter stages, and in particular the access to the site has required months of office and on-site engineering”
“Essentially the main access to the Substation, which is off the Bushmead Road, is not fit for the purposes of delivering a SGT on a Girder Frame Trailer.
“Our access to the Substation is directly off the A1. To facilitate this, we have been working closely with National Grid, the police, Highways England and their agent Kier.
“As you can appreciate the task of opening up access from a major carriageway takes planning and preparation. In this case, we have been fortunate that all parties have been proactive and have worked tirelessly with the statutory notices, permits (paperwork) and actual site operations. All parties have aligned seamlessly to ensure that the delivery date of the 28th can be achieved”
Mr McLoughlin said: “During the movement, Collett will have private escort vehicles that will warm other road users of the approaching convoy. However, the police will be on hand to control traffic, with the aim to cause the least amount of disruption to the greater public”
“We appreciate that our movement will cause some delays to other road users. We have reviewed the movement along with the police and local councils. The planned move takes place at a time when all of the stakeholders believe that it will cause the least amount of disruption possible.
“The project team have highlighted the route and the probable timings at which the convoy will pass certain locations along the route. We would like to point out that these timings are for indication only, with the possibility of many factors throwing the schedule off.
“We hope that the advance warning to other road users may assist them with their movement planning on Sunday. In the event that road users are in the vicinity of the convoy, we would ask that attention is paid to the Collett operatives and to the Police, who are in charge on the day”.
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