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Photo: Lori Van Buren, Albany Times Union
Bigge Crane & Rigging hauls the first of 45 superloads out of the Port of Rensselaer and across Rt. 20 on Broadway on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessBigge Crane & Rigging hauls the first of 45 superloads out of the Port of Rensselaer and across Rt. 20 on Broadway on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as
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Bigge Crane & Rigging hauls the first of 45 superloads out of the Port of Rensselaer and up Rt. 151 on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessBigge Crane & Rigging hauls the first of 45 superloads out of the Port of Rensselaer and up Rt. 151 on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1
... more
Trooper David Roy inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessTrooper David Roy inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds
... more
New York State Trooper David Roy places a hydraulic scale under a wheel as he and others from Troop G escort detail inspect the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessNew York State Trooper David Roy places a hydraulic scale under a wheel as he and others from Troop G escort detail inspect the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15,
... more
Troop G escort detail, including Trooper David Roy, center, inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessTroop G escort detail, including Trooper David Roy, center, inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating
... more
Troop G escort detail, including Trooper David Roy, center, inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessTroop G escort detail, including Trooper David Roy, center, inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating
... more
Troop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessTroop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million
... more
Troop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessTroop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million
... more
Troop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessTroop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million
... more
Troop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessTroop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million
... more
New York State Trooper David Roy, right. writes information down as he and others from Troop G escort detail inspect the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessNew York State Trooper David Roy, right. writes information down as he and others from Troop G escort detail inspect the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in
... more
Troop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessTroop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million
... more
Troop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessTroop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million
... more
New York State Trooper David Roy places a hydraulic scale under a wheel as he and others from Troop G escort detail inspect the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessNew York State Trooper David Roy places a hydraulic scale under a wheel as he and others from Troop G escort detail inspect the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15,
... more
A hydraulic scale is seen under a wheel as Troop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating equipment weighing as much as 1 million pounds are on their way south to a power plant site in Dutchess County. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
lessA hydraulic scale is seen under a wheel as Troop G escort detail inspects the first of 45 superload transports at the Port of Rensselaer on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Rensselaer, N.Y. The shipments of generating
... more
Safety top priority for superload
RENSSELAER - Everyone loves a parade. But the one that traveled through the streets of Rensselaer on Tuesday night was not your average motorcade.
The caravan of flashing lights and large vehicles was the Port of Rensselaer's inaugural superload, one of 45 expected to wind through city streets this year. And while it garnered a lot of attention from spectators who gathered along the streets to watch the slow-moving caravan go by, it took a lot of planning to make certain the city's first giant cargo traveled without incident.
The superload drove out of the port around 9 p.m. But State Police were on the scene all day to test the rig and the 88-tire trailer to ensure the 200-foot-long, 18-foot-wide and 15½-foot-tall truck and its 472,000-pound General Electric heat-recovery steam generator could safely navigate its two-day maiden voyage from the Hudson River port to its destination, the Cricket Valley Energy Center in Dover Plains, Dutchess County.
"Safety is our main concern," said Trooper David Roy, a member of the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit. "We have to make sure the load is secure and the truck can handle the load."
That meant doing what is called a federal Level 1 inspection that includes weighting every axle, testing every brake, looking for cracks in the frame and checking every hose for leaks in fluid or air, all to ensure the massive haul arrives unscathed.
Police also double-check road and bridge road limits.
"We have to make sure the bridges and roads can handle it," Roy said. "We have some narrow bridge,s and some power lines will be in the way. We have bucket trucks that will go in front to push up the lines."
Every inch of the route has been carefully mapped out. From the port, the superload traveled down Riverside Avenue to Broadway then east on Third Avenue to Route 151. From there, it proceeded east to Route 4 then Routes 9 and 20 until it drove south on Route 22.
When it started at a pace of 5 mph, pockets of onlookers stood on the sidewalks with their cellphones in hand recording the caravan of a dozen police and escort vehicles. Some spectators jogged alongside the flashy parade, taking in every second of the slow, deliberate journey of a giant.
The superload gobbled up most of the pavement, essentially closing the road to traffic in both directions. As it moved along, men would jump ahead to pull out impeding street signs and pop them back in place once the cargo cleared. At many spots, it slowed to a crawl. Eventually, the procession of vehicles guided the superload up Third Avenue to where it turns windy and hilly just before a bridge and then onto the open roads.
Once on the wider state roads, the convoy would reach speeds up to 25 mph, said Todd Hall, the driver of the lead escort vehicle with Pilot Car Services of Albany. He and his brother Dave, behind the wheel of another escort vehicle, expected to make it as far as Columbia/Dutchess County border before calling it a night.
"We can't leave until night because we have to think of all the people on the road," Dave Hall said. "We just wait until we can leave. That's the worst part. But it's fun."
The slow ride will eventually end at the natural gas-fired power plant at an undetermined hour. On Tuesday night, Dave Hall said, no one knows for sure exactly when that will be.
By December, Rensselaer residents will have seen 45 loads go by their homes, making for a total shipment of 35 million pounds of GE equipment. For each trip, one thing remains constant - safety.
"It is everything," said Dave Hall.
https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Safety-top-priority-for-superload-12917541.php
