Tuesday Turbine Transport to Tangle I-75 Traffic in Cobb

Cobb County motorists may have to content with traffic delays caused by the transport of a gigantic piece of machinery on Interstate 75 on Tuesday night, the Georgia Department of Transportation says.

A 205-foot long, 14-foot-8-inch wide and 15-foot-6-inch tall rig will be needed to transport a 383,000 pound turbine rotor from Rome to Savannah, a journey which will begin at approximately 8 p.m. Two Georgia State Patrol officers with blue lights and marked cars will be accompanying the load to pace traffic, when so warranted by the traffic control. The mega load will also feature moving message boards warning of traffic interruptions at key bridges and/or intersections.

Normal travel speed is 45 mph but slows to 5 mph when crossing certain bridge structures. Narrow bridge locations will require escorts to restrict the passing of other vehicles, while the permit vehicle is crossing.

The rig will take Interstate 75 south to Interstate 285, then hit I-20 east towards Newton County. After stopping at the Columbia County scales on Wednesday morning, the rig will make it to the Savannah Ocean Terminal by midnight Wednesday.

The rig is scheduled to enter Cobb County at 10:20 p.m. and leave by 11 p.m., according to a GDOT schedule.