T-L Photo/CARRI GRAHAM Four troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol are expected to help escort superload transports, along with local law enforcement, Ohio Department of Transportation and utility trucks next weekend.

CADIZ — The first of three superload transports, originally scheduled to begin this weekend, has been postponed with the first move now set to take place Jan. 12.

The Ohio Department of Transportation announced a set of three planned superload moves for this month — Jan. 12, 19 and 26. The superloads will be traveling through Jefferson and Harrison counties. Lauren Borrell, spokeswoman for ODOT, said the first, more than 300-foot-long superload transport was postponed due to an issue with one of the routes.

“They had an issue with one of the turns on one of the routes. They’re addressing the issue,” she said.

The superload will be entering Ohio from West Virginia on U.S. 22.

“They have been planning this move for months,” Borrell said. “They put in crossovers. … It’s taken a lot of prep work.”

The superload is 20 feet wide, 17 feet 4 inches tall and weighs approximately 969,500 pounds. ODOT officials are working closely with the logistics team from Capital City Crane in order to plan for the successful transport, Borrell said.

The superload route is from U.S. 22 west to Ohio 43 (Canton Road), Ohio 43 south to Harrison 22A (Cadiz Road), Harrison 22A to U.S. 22 west to Ohio 151, Ohio 151 north to Giacobi Road, ending at the MarkWest fractionator facility.

Traffic on U.S. 22 between Ohio 7 and Ohio 43 will be affected in both the east and westbound directions, according to ODOT. Borrell said the move may cause traffic delays on U.S. 22 between Steubenville and Hopedale.

There is no specified time for the move to begin, she said. However, the transport team does plan on avoiding peak travel times to minimize traffic interference, she said.

“They hope to be in Ohio by daybreak,” Borrell said.

The move will take the majority of the day to complete, she added.

“Last year, one day they were done by 3 (p.m.), another day they were done by 5 (p.m.). It just depends,” she said.

ODOT said that traffic flow will be maintained via rolling roadblocks. Local law enforcement, Ohio State Highway Patrol and ODOT officials will escort the superload along the intended route. The superload will affect traffic in all directions, Borrell said.

“Motorists wishing to travel to WV during this time should expect delays of up to 30 minutes while this superload enters Ohio. Once the superload is in Ohio, motorists should expect delays and various intermittent ramp and lane closures as the superload progresses west,” a release from ODOT states.

ODOT has requested that motorists consider an alternate route to avoid congestion and delays.

“Plan ahead and avoid the route,” Borrell advised.

Residents can track the superload transport via ODOT’s real-time Ohio traffic website Ohgo at www.ohgo.com.

“People can track the transport and see where the delays are at. It’s a great resource to keep track and know exactly where it’s at,” she said.

The same route will be taken for all three of the superload transports.