420,000-Pound Mega Load To Travel Through Bartow County

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A 420,000 pound transformer load is scheduled to begin a trip from Rome to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport late next week, a trip that will take it through Cartersville and Bartow County.

The 209-foot long, 12-foot wide and 15-foot tall rig mega load will leave the GE Plant in Rome at 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 for a tactical route that will take it to S.R. 1 in Floyd County and onto S.R. 53/New Calhoun Highway.

It will then proceed on S.R. 140/Adairsville Road into Bartow County and enter Interstate 75 south.

It will continue on I-75 southbound until it exits at Wade Green Road (Exit 273). The route will continue on George Busbee Parkway in Cobb County to Frey Road then it will continue on Chastain Road and get back on I-75 southbound.

The mega load will travel through downtown Atlanta on I-75/I-85 and continue on I-75 southbound to Charles Grant Parkway (Exit 239) until it arrives at the airport.

Night traffic on Friday in the Northwest and Metro-Atlanta regions will be impacted, slowed or even stopped at some points due to the excessive size of extremely oversized load.

Two Georgia State Patrol troopers 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 miles per hour, but it slows to 5 m.p.h. when crossing certain bridge structures. Narrow bridge locations will require escorts to restrict the passing of other vehicles, while the permit vehicle is crossing.

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