Oversized Load En Route for Eastman Set to Disrupt Traffic in Multiple Counties
Kingsport, Tennessee – Who’s Involved and When?
Traffic in multiple eastern Tennessee counties will undergo notable disruptions on the Sunday and Monday nights due to an oversized load bound for the Eastman Chemical Company facility in Kingsport. The gigantic transport, weighing around 410,000 pounds with a width and length of 20 feet and 229 feet respectively and soaring 17 feet tall, will be traveling across Sullivan and Morgan Counties, as informed by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
The logistics for the transportation operation have been shared by the authorities: the movement will be strictly limited to the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. on both Sunday and Monday. The estimated itinerary for night one includes journeying through Roane, Knox, Claiborne, Union, Morgan, and Anderson counties. For the second night, the load will traverse through Sullivan, Grainger, and Hawkins counties.
Route Overview and Controllers
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has released a detailed description of the specified route. On the first night of transport, the load will cross US 27S in Oakdale, move to the other side of the roadway onto SR 61E, and then follow onto Winter Gap Road, Railroad Avenue, and Knox Street to SR 62E in Oak Ridge. Coming back to the other side of the road onto SR 170, it will then join US 25W to SR 61E, US 441S, SR 33N, to US 25E (southbound) at Bean Station.
For the night two, it will take a left onto West Main Street East, leading to US 11W North in Church Hill, cross over to the other side of the road onto SR 346 NE (Carters Valley Road), then follow US 23S to Exit 4B, onto SR 93, to SR 126N, to Lincoln Street North, and finally onto 12th Street in Kingsport.
Further, the schedule of the haulage depends heavily on the climate conditions and will be escorted by state troopers at all times to ensure safety.
What’s It All About?
The mammoth haul signifies the transportation of the first of three pieces of equipment destined for Eastman’s facility in Kingsport. All are part of a planned upgrade and will replace existing apparatus at the plant. The remaining two transportations are forecast to occur in mid-July.
As per statement from the Eastman spokesperson, “Equipment transport will be slow and will impact traffic both inside and outside the plant.” Going further, they added, “We are working with all appropriate transportation authorities for safe transport and to minimize disruption as we can.”
As always, it is crucial to plan one’s itinerary considering these imminent disruptions to minimize potential delays and inconvenience.
