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Tanks ready to roll Haulers get set for 105-mile trip
Moving giant tanks from King George to Shenandoah Valley Coors plant a logistical, traffic challenge
Date published: 1/9/2006
By RUSTY DENNEN In the wee hours one day next month, a giant 13-axle trailer will pull onto State Route 3 in King George County, beginning a most unusual journey. As big loads go, this will be one of the biggest ever to rumble along a Virginia highway, making the largest tractor-trailer look puny by comparison. Coors Brewing Co. will truck 40 giant beer-fermenting tanks 105 miles from a staging area on Edward Taylor's Farley Vale Farm to the brewer's plant at Elkton in the Shenandoah Valley. "This is pretty unusual," said Jim Cline, who is handling the logistics for the Virginia Department of Transportation. "We normally don't let oversize loads run in convoys, but they figured this would be the best way to get them in and out." The shipments require a permit from the state Department of Motor Vehicles--that's in the works--and coordination with VDOT and power and phone companies. Some traffic signals and electric and telephone lines along the planned route will have to be raised or repositioned. Lockwood Brothers Inc. of Hampton is handling the move. The company, which specializes in super-size loads, barged the tanks from Hampton Roads up the Rappahannock River last fall. Made in Ziemann, Germany, Coors' stainless-steel fermenting tanks are 70 feet long and 19 feet in diameter, and weigh 78,000 pounds each. They look like rocket ships, positioned nose to nose in a field next to Route 3. Lockwood explored several options for getting the tanks to the Valley, including by rail and by helicopter, but decided that overland would be the best method. The company has told state officials that its special trailer, designed to carry 360 tons, can make the trip from King George to Elkton in about a day. One test trip is planned, and if that goes well, the rest of the tanks will be trucked five at a time. A series of eight convoys is planned. "All of the cogs are turning right now, so that on the day of the move everything is in place," Cline said. "We've handled loads much heavier than these" on state highways, he said. But in this case, the diameter of the tanks is much greater than the standard lane width of 8 to 9 feet.
Date published: 1/9/2006
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