New Synchronous Condenser Shipped Through NH; May Cause Traffic Issues

CONCORD, NH — If you’re on the road between Massachusetts and the Lakes Region tonight and tomorrow morning, be aware of an overweight, oversized load equipment hauler driving through the state on Thursday.

Eversource and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation warned that a new synchronous condenser will be moving through the state between 9 p.m. on Thursday and 2 a.m. on Friday. The 239-foot long, 455,000-pound hauler will drive north on Route 3 from around 9 p.m. in Nashua, drive through Merrimack, Bedford, Manchester, and Hooksett, and then enter Interstate 93 through Hooksett, Bow, and Concord. It will travel at no more than 55 miles per hour.

When it gets to Concord, the hauler would take Exit 15E to I-393 to Exit 2 on East Side Drive and then will drive north on East Side Drive until it reaches Exit 16 and then return to the highway.

Before the Exit 16 roundabout, the hauler will travel over a “jumper bridge” over Mill Brook. The hauler will traverse the jumper bridge in Concord around midnight.

William Hinkle of Eversource said the jumper bridge was requested after “an in-depth analysis of all bridges and infrastructure the load will be crossing.” He said the jump bridge involved a large piece of equipment on top of the underlying infrastructure to prevent potential damage.

The condenser will then head north through Canterbury, Northfield, Sanbornton, Meredith, New Hampton, Ashland, and Holderness. The hauler was expected to arrive at the Huckins Hill Substation around 2 a.m.

Hinkle said the condenser and new upgrades at the substation would meet the growing needs for “reliable and resilient electric power.”

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