Second transformer on the move
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By Hayley Robinson
Motorists are being warned of traffic delays as the second of
four massive generators is transported from Chatham Docks to
Sittingbourne this weekend.
As of Friday night those travelling between Medway and
Sittingbourne via the A249 are advised to find an
alternative route if possible.
Officers from Kent Police’s Roads Policing Unit will be
escorting a specialised lorry as it transports the
428 ton generator from Chatham Docks to the National Grid
substation, in Ypres Drive, Kemsley.
The lorry will leave Gillingham at 10pm on Friday. During this
stage vehicles will be able to follow behind the police escort.
It will use the M2 and M20 before
joining the A249.
Police will stop traffic at the
M20/A249 roundabout to allow the load to get up Detling Hill.
It will come off at the Iwade
junction and will stop along the Sheppey Way in the early hours of
Saturday.
At 3pm on Sunday the load will then
be escorted back down the A249 and come off at the junction for
Kemsley and to its destination just off Ypres Drive.
The generator weighs 428-tonnes,
and the trailer is 104.24m long, 5.9m wide and 5.24m high and
travels at a maximum of 14mph. No vehicles are allowed past the
moving lorry.
National Grid has requested
residents keep Ypres Drive, Grovehurst Road and Grovehurst Avenue
clear of parked vehicles tomorrow, Sunday and Monday.
The old Sheppey Way is closed until
Monday and traffic heading for Iwade village should follow the
detour route along Old Ferry Road.
Sittingbourne Messenger reader Charlie Ryder snapped
these pictures as the huge vehicle made its way along
Grovehurst Avenue in Sittingbourne as the crowds gathered to see it
on Sunday.
Despite careful planning, the
journey wasn’t as smooth as it could have been – the lorry broke
down on Yokosuka Way in Gillingham when one of its hydraulic hoses
failed.
A police spokesman said: "A new
hose had to be fitted and the road cleaned to ensure it was safe
before the road could be reopened after about 45 minutes."
The electricity company arranged
for the quad booster transformer to be transported from Chatham
Docks to the site near Sittingbourne to help "ensure London and the
South East continue to enjoy safe and secure electricity
supplies."
Thursday, February 25 2010
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