‘Super load’ is expected to travel through Port Matilda, Milesburg on Sunday, after some trouble on the mountain
The Yankee dryer “super load” ran into some difficulty negotiating the crossover between the east and westbound lanes at Blazosky Road on U.S. Route 322 on the Port Matilda Mountain Saturday, causing both lanes to be shut down for most of the afternoon.
According to the state Department of Transportation, the the 628,000-pound, 217-foot-long, 20-foot-high, 20-foot-wide “super load” bound for First Quality in Lock Haven had difficulty negotiating the crossover due to the softness of the ground. The area has been experiencing rain throughout most of day.
Traffic cameras on PennDOT’s 511pa.com showed the vehicle unmoving in the crossover, and both sides of the road blocked off by police vehicles.
The truck had to travel east using the westbound lanes to avoid the sharp turns down the mountain, District 2 spokesperson Marla Fannin previously told the Centre Daily Times.
Crane pads were brought in to help the super load negotiate the crossover at about 3:45 p.m., and by 4:37 p.m., PennDOT tweeted that the super load was through and continuing toward Port Matilda. Route 322 westbound, however, remained closed for another hour as crews worked to remove the crane pads and other equipment from the area.
Once the “super load” reached the bottom of the mountain, it parked for the night at the former Clem’s BBQ site on South Eagle Valley Road. PennDOT issued an update Saturday evening saying the super load is expected to resume its journey at 7 a.m. Sunday, reaching Port Matilda at the intersection of Route 3042 and South Eagle Valley Road/Alternate 220 between 7:30-8:30 a.m.
Drivers in that area are reminded to be alert for slow-moving vehicles, and encouraged to find alternate routes, as the super load travels at 15 mph.
From there, the super load is expected to head north for 16.8 miles, passing through Julian, Unionville and Wingate. When it gets to Milesburg, the super load will exit briefly at to avoid the bridge that spans state Route 144, and immediately follow the entrance ramp to Alternate 220/South Eagle Valley Road.
The super load started its nine-county journey at the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority Dec. 5, bringing out large crowds of onlookers in each county as it slowly makes its way to Lock Haven.
It made its ways to Bigler in Clearfield County Friday afternoon, where it stopped for the rest of the day due to freezing rain at the old Kephart Trucking building, a few miles east of the State Route 970/U.S. Route 322 intersection in Woodland.
It departed from there Saturday morning and made its way through Philipsburg before reaching the Port Matilda Mountain.
For real-time traffic updates, follow @511PAStateColl or visit https://www.511pa.com.
This story was originally published December 14, 2019 at 3:48 PM.
