Much-anticipated 350-foot super load travels through Meadville

It's not often that people erupt in applause when they see the flashing lights atop a police cruiser, but after waiting hours on and around the Mead Avenue Bridge late Friday afternoon that's exactly what happened as the approach of the much-anticipated super load was in view.

The massive chain of three semi-trucks and multiple trailers extending more than 350 feet long arrived around 5:30 p.m. Friday at what many folks considered to be the tricky point of the journey as it attempted to cross the bridge.

Prior to the load's arrival, many folks gathered on the bridge speculated if the super load could fit under the traffic signal. Ron Rushton of Meadville wondered if the traffic signal could be a problem, but he had watched earlier in the day as a truck went before the super load and lifted wires out of the way.

The signal did prove a bit of a challenge and delayed progress a bit as crews worked to temporarily remove the signals to allow passage over the bridge.

Patty and Bob Temple of Meadville captured a video of the super load traveling through Crossingville along the way earlier in the day.

"It had to stop for some trees," Patty said. "We're retired, so this has been a fun day for us. We've never seen anything like this."

Progress was very slow at times along the way as the Temples and lots of others watched.

"People were lined all along Route 98," Patty said. "Some people on bicycles were moving faster than the super load."

With a speed of about 2 mph at times, the super load’s progress was hard to predict. Scott Boddy, project manager, confirmed the trip began bright and early at 7 a.m. from Cranesville, but getting an estimation of arrival times at various destinations was virtually impossible.

The super load is transporting a 340,000-pound transformer from Cranesville to the Cochranton area, according to an application approved by the city of Meadville. The total weight of the three linked semi-trucks and multiple extended trailers exceeds 865,000 pounds and measures just over 357 feet long.

The maximum height of the load is 18 feet 4 inches and the maximum width is 18 feet 6 inches.

The lengthy chain of trailers is designed to distribute the massive weight so that the load on any one of the 16 axles does not exceed 44,000 pounds, according to application submitted to the city.

After crossing the Mead Avenue Bridge, the load turned right onto French Creek Parkway and then left onto Linden Street. It then turned right onto South Main Street and continued to the Cochranton area on Route 322.

The load was transported by Edwards Moving and Rigging of Shelbyville, Kentucky.

A super load, according to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, is a combination of vehicles and loads exceeding 201,000 pounds or 160 feet in length or 16 feet in width.

Boddy said the super load had almost reached Cochranton when the Tribune last made contact with him at 8:30 p.m.

Lorri Drumm can be reached at 724-6370 or by email at lorrid@meadvilletribune.com.