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Workers move a Coors beer fermentation tank barged to King George last fall. Forty tanks will be trucked to Elkton in March. |
By RUSTY DENNEN
The 40 giant Coors fermenting tanks stored along State Route 3 in King George County will begin their improbable journey to the Shenandoah Valley March 5.
That Sunday, after midnight when traffic will be least affected, one of the 20- by 70-foot stainless steel tanks weighing 78,000 pounds will be loaded on a huge trailer for a test run to Coors' Elkton plant about 95 miles away.
The journey could take up to 11 hours, winding along Route 3 through Fredericksburg, Culpeper and Ruckersville over the mountains to the Shenandoah Valley town.
The brewer yesterday announced final details of the unprecedented move at a news conference with representatives of the Virginia Department of Transportation and Lockwood Brothers Inc., the Hampton firm handling the transfer.
"We wanted to share the details, and to get assistance in reaching out to the communities to be impacted," said Diana Jennings, spokeswoman at the Elkton plant.
"It's a very exciting time for us," she added.
Based in Golden, Colo., Coors Brewing Co. is adding a brewery to its East Coast distribution center in Elkton. The brewery is scheduled to open next year and will produce about 7 million barrels of beer annually.
The fermenting tanks, manufactured in Germany, were shipped to Hampton Roads and barged up the Rappahannock River to a landing at Farley Vale Farm in King George. Resembling rockets, the tanks have been stored nose to nose since they began arriving last fall.
Jennings said if the test run goes smoothly, with one tank aboard, the rest of the tanks will be moved--five at a time--each Wednesday and Sunday through March and finishing up April 2.
She noted that those are all tentative dates.
"Our blanket disclaimer is that this is all dependent upon the weather," she said.
Commuters and motorists are advised to be aware of the routes and the shipment times.
"This will impact traffic from Fredericksburg to the Shenandoah Valley," Jennings said. "Our plan is to maximize the safety of those involved with the transport, with the minimum effect on the traveling public."
Message boards informing motorists will be placed at four spots along the route, and updates will be posted on VDOT's Web site: virginiadot.org
For weeks now, utility and VDOT crews have been raising traffic signals and power lines along the route. Lockwood Brothers, a mover specializing in super-size loads, has been working on the project for months.
Daniel Clark, project manager for the company, said the journey will be methodical, with several stops along the way to allow local and state police to close portions of highways and to detour traffic when necessary.
The truck will take about an hour to travel from King George to the Blue and Gray Parkway flyover in Stafford County. That part of the journey, on a relatively flat and open section of Route 3, should be fairly easy.
"Probably the worst area is through Fredericksburg, because there are a number of traffic signals," said Jim Cline, who is coordinating the move for VDOT.
Another tricky spot is the U.S. 1 Bypass bridge over Route 3, which is too low for the 165-foot-long trailer carrying the tanks.
There, the truck will head briefly north on U.S. 1, cross the median at the next traffic signal, head south, and reconnect with Route 3 west.
"Basically, we'll be crawling through the city," Clark said.
It should take the truck, which can travel at speeds up to about 30 mph, about three hours to reach the city line west of Interstate 95.
The traffic signal at Gordon Road and Route 3 is another slow spot, Clark said.
"The [traffic light] mast does not have sufficient clearance," he said.
The convoy will have to switch over to the eastbound lanes to get past the light, and then move back into the westbound lanes.
By 5 a.m., the tanks should be at the junction of U.S. 29 and Route 3 in Culpeper. Then they'll head south on U.S. 29 to U.S. 33 to where U.S. 33 narrows from four lanes to two.
"When we hit that section, the convoy will stop, and we'll wait for daylight," Clark said. State police will close that section of highway until the shipment passes. By 7 a.m., the convoy will enter Shenandoah National Park. It will continue on U.S. 33, picking up State Route 649, then State Route 340 before arriving at the plant around 11 a.m.
There are three overpasses on the overall route, and several spots where the tanks will have to be maneuvered around traffic signals, Clark said.
Pull-off spots have been built into the route around Fredericksburg in case there are unanticipated traffic problems on Interstate 95 or U.S. 1 that might funnel unsuspecting motorists onto Route 3.
VDOT officials have said the shipment may be the biggest ever of its type to cross Virginia highways.
When installed at the Elkton plant, the fermenting tanks receive a pre-beer mixture called wort. The brewer adds yeast, which converts sugars to alcohol. Each tank can handle about 126,000 gallons of wort.
To reach RUSTY DENNEN:
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com
