'Mega Load' To Travel Through Cartersville

From the Georgia Department of Transportation: A mega load is scheduled to begin a trip from the Tennessee State line in Catoosa County to the city of Midland in Muscogee County at 8:p.m. on Saturday, February 17, 2018.

The 245-foot long, 16-foot-9-inch wide and 13-foot-6-inch tall rig mega load will leave the Ringgold Welcome Center at 8 p.m. It is scheduled to travel south on I-75, I-285, I-85 and US 80. It is expected to reach its destination in Midland, Georgia at 3:30 Sunday morning.

Two Georgia State Patrol officers with blue lights and marked cars will accompany the load to pace traffic when so warranted by the traffic control movement plan. Night traffic on Saturday night in this part of the North Georgia region will be impacted, slowed or even stopped at some points due to the excessive size of this 650,000 pound extremely oversized load. Normal travel speed is 45 mph but it slows to 5 mph when crossing certain bridge structures. Narrow bridge locations will require escorts to restrict the passing of other vehicles, while the permit vehicle is crossing.

For real-time information about statewide road conditions, know before you go. Before getting into your car – call 511 or visit 511ga.org, where you can access statewide, route-specific information on crashes, road work, traffic and weather. Callers can transfer to operators to report incidents or request assistance on interstate or state routes across Georgia. The system can be also be used to access transit providers, major airports, rideshare organizations, tourism information and 511 systems in surrounding states.

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