Warning over road closures while police escort massive 180m crane convoy to Sheffield Forgemasters
Here is the route the 120-tonnne load will take and how it is likely to disrupt traffic
Drivers in Sheffield should expect delays while police escort three oversized loads to Forgemasters.
A convoy stretching to 180m long will travel from Immingham docks near Cleethorpes to Sheffield with the help of a fleet of police officers on Wednesday, July 29.
It will carry a large overhead crane system made of three pieces, each 50 metres long, four metres wide, and weighing 120 tonnes.
Road closures for 120 tonne oversized load
Here is the route the load will take and how it is likely to disrupt traffic.
The load will be leaving Immingham docks at 7pm and are due to arrive at the M1 J34 at Tinsley at around 8.30pm to 9pm.
Once it arrives in Sheffield, police will only allow traffic to pass if safe to do so - often resulting in tailbacks.
The convoy will travel along Attercliffe Common towards Arena Square.
Here, officers will stop traffic in all directions to allow the loads to reverse onto Broughton Lane, as they are too long to make the right turn as normal.
This is likely to clash with the filming of a new episode of BBC Gladiators at the Utilita Arena, which empties out at 8.30pm.
Police will then shut Carbrook Street to allow the convoy to reverse into the Forgemasters site.
A post on the South Yorkshire Police Operational Support Facebook page reads: “The Arena Square closure will cause delays as we need it to be completely clear of all traffic to minimise any risks to the public or other motorists. Please use another route or set off earlier if you think that this will in any way affect your journey.
“We often get comments asking why we move these large loads at particular times of the day and on the routes we travel. The escorting of abnormal loads takes months to plan and involves many organisations who all must agree on the route and the timeframe to move.
“Other factors also dictate what we do including traffic management, the removal of traffic lights and bollards and planned arrival times to get the items into the site to unload.
“Please give your full attention to our teams if they give out directions asking you to stop or divert. These manoeuvres should only take us around 15 to 20 minutes, so please be patient while we assist getting the loads safely to the destination.”