'Super Heavy' Shipment Hitting I-20 Tuesday Night

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — A "super heavy" shipment will be traveling from east Georgia to Alabama on Interstate 20 on Tuesday night, and could be clogging up traffic along the way.

The 650,000-pound load — a machine press — currently sits off of I-20 in Columbia County, near Augusta in east Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

It's set to begin traveling on I-20 westbound at 7 p.m. The 261-foot long, 19-foot wide and 14-foot tall rig is under the supervision of Hauler Hansa Meyer.

It should complete its journey through Georgia in the early morning hours of Wednesday.

The DOT says that westbound traffic east of Atlanta, then west of Atlanta, will be slowed or even stopped at some points because of the massive size of the shipment.

Georgia State Patrol and other officers will be escorting the rig with blue lights and marked cars in an effort to pace traffic when needed.

The rig, which will also have a moving message board, is expected to routinely travel at about 45 m.p.h., but slow to as little as 5 m.p.h. when crossing bridges and other structures.

Motorists should exercise extreme caution when close to the shipment, the DOT said.

Those planning to travel on I-20 westbound Tuesday night should monitor the Department of Transportation's travel website or download the 511Ga app to stay current on lane closures.

Georgia DOT East on Facebook and Twitter also will provide updates.