Oversized load continues to travel through East Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – A massive oversized load has been traveling from Kansas to Kingsport since Thanksgiving of 2023.

The boiler headed for Eastman Chemical Plant has to be pulled and pushed in order to move across the region.

Residents have taken to social media to follow along as the truck makes its way through Tennessee, even following it physically.

“I’ve been following on Facebook,” Tennessee resident Kristy Ogle said. “I just got so curious because of how big it was. I actually thought it was still in Oliver Springs but it made it this far that we had to come see it and take a picture.”

The boiler sitting at 229 feet long, 17 feet tall and 410,000 pounds, the delivery has taken a while and taken many resources including the Emergency Management Agency, Tennessee Highways Patrol and the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

“Where it is at, where it’s going to head next, that plays a big role because if there was a different type of emergency that comes out, the response to those emergencies can be kind of tricky,” Anderson County EMA Director Brice Kidwell said.

“As it travels, other agencies are picking it up,” Kidwell said. “You could have 12 vehicles or you could only have four.”

The different agencies expect the boiler to make it to Kingsport this week but are only traveling at night between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The boiler was stopped in Oak Ridge Monday and will continue on the journey to Eastman Chemical plant this week.

Copyright 2024 WVLT. All rights reserved.