“Super Load” to Begin Move from Erie to Lock Haven on Thursday
ERIE – From Europe by way of the Atlantic Ocean, the Saint Lawrence River, Lake Erie and now the port of Erie, PA, a major piece in completion of a third tissue manufacturing machine in Castanea Township will resume its travels beginning Thursday. A large industrial dryer now rests in Erie and is headed towards its final destination, First Quality Tissue. The trip will take at least a week, utilizing relatively back roads through northwestern Pennsylvania.
Local officials say the dryer will be installed and machine trial runs on the massive First Quality expansion are likely by the end of this month. Addition of the third machine is expected to create another 180-plus jobs at Clinton County’s largest employer.
The formal PennDOT release on the trip:
Clearfield, PA – Starting tomorrow, a Yankee Dryer super load will be transported from the Port of Erie to First Quality Tissue in the city of Lock Haven—a distance of more than 300 miles.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is alerting regional drivers that this super load will impact traffic along numerous routes from Erie County to Clinton County.
Ace Heavy Haul of Chelsea, Oklahoma will transport the load. Travel dates will run from Thursday December 5 through Friday, December 13. The travel schedule includes Saturday and Sunday, December 7 and 8. Movement is expected to be during daylight hours only. Movement could be impacted or delayed by winter weather.
The super load travel plan will involve nine counties and will feature cross-overs and unusual traffic patterns, including:
• Multiple crossover movements on Bayfront Parkway—Erie County
• Counterflow/opposite direction movement on SR 5 West (Lake Road)–Erie County
• Counterflow/opposite direction movement on SR 290 East on-ramp—Erie County
• Counterflow/opposite direction movement on SR 27 West (Central Avenue)—Venango County
• Counterflow/opposite direction movement on SR 879 West off-ramp in the Clearfield Mall area—Clearfield County
• Multiple crossover movements on SR 879—Clearfield County
• Counterflow/opposite direction movement on SR 322 westbound off-ramp at Woodland intersection—Clearfield County
• Counterflow movement on SR 322 West—Centre County
• Crossover movement on SR 322 East and Blazosky Rd—Centre County
• Counterflow/opposite direction movement on SR 2015 (Mill Hall Rd)—Clinton County
• Counterflow/opposite direction movement on SR 220 South at exit 109—Clinton County
• Counterflow/opposite direction movement on SR2012 E/120 East in Lock Haven area—Clinton County
• Counterflow/opposite direction movement on SR 120 East on-ramp in Lock Haven area—Clinton County
Flaggers will be positioned at specific locations and intersections along the super load route to assist movements through intersections and control traffic during counterflow movements.
Drivers will need to remain alert for this slow-moving operation, which will travel at speeds lower than 15 miles-per-hour.
Roadway message boards will be in place as the super load moves through specific areas to alert drivers of the restrictions and traffic delays. Pennsylvania State Police will accompany the transport to enhance safety.