Superload Number 3 Parked in Ross County Until Friday Morning

As the Scioto Post reported yesterday, the third “Superload” being shipped from the Ohio River to facilities in Central Ohio is parked in Ross County until Friday morning.

I happened to catch it as hard-hatted personnel were apparently putting it to bed for the night, like bees after getting a hive moved. One of them was my former co-worker Matt Bruning, now the press secretary of the Ohio Department of Transportation.

He said this is only one of about two dozen superloads that are being sailed up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, offloaded near Manchester, then trucked up the Ohio and Scioto valleys. Since they are superwide, ODOT must shut down segments of two-lane highways as they slowly move north. But once the shipment passes an intersection, that previous segment of the highway is opened back up.

Bruning said it’s nice to see people excited to see these superloads – but be safe and stay back. He said ODOT has a “Special Hauling Office” for superloads like this, and they have a page on the ODOT website with information. You can also get news releases and email alerts on the shipments.

Bruning said ODOT also needs to avoid events like the Pumpkin Show – and yes, it might take that long. He said the trucking will take several months, but since some shipments are not docked yet, they don’t know exact dates.

He said this one is a kiln to plastics recycling plant in Hebron, near Newark. It will leave Fairgrounds Road at 8am Friday…and watching it be turned around to get back to State Route 104 north might be exciting in itself.

The biggest and slowest superload will be 900,000 pounds. This one only 549,000. Hear Bruning in his own words in the video interview in the article on the Scioto Post (sorry about the wind noise).

Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for the Scioto Post and iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact Kevin Coleman or the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom.