Drivers who plan to travel east along Interstate 80 into Mercer County may be delayed by a 150-ton, 28-foot wide “superload”.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation says I-80 eastbound is part of the route to transport the 136-foot-long trailer from Columbiana County, Ohio to the Pittsburgh area.

The huge cargo, which left Reichard Industries in Columbiana at 6 p.m. Monday, was at the I-80 Welcome Center in Mercer County being inspected as of 11 a.m. Tuesday before continuing it's slow crawl through Western Pennsylvania.

According to the company website, Reichard Industries builds and refurbishes steel mill equipment.

The superload will move as a rolling slowdown using two traffic lanes which will result in traffic stoppages and travel delays. 

PennDOT says drivers should remain alert for the slow-moving, two-lane operation, which will travel approximately 25-30 miles per hour, or slower as needed, and use alternate routes when possible.

The trailer will travel Interstate 80 East through Mercer, Butler, and Clarion counties to Exit 78 in Jefferson County. It will continue through Jefferson County on Routes 36 South, 436 South, and 119 South into Indiana County where it will take Route 22 West through Westmoreland County and into Allegheny County. Once in Allegheny County, it will travel Routes 2048 South/William Penn Highway West, 48 South, 130 West, and 2037/Tri-Boro Expressway West onto Route 2083/Braddock Avenue South.

Southern Pines Trucking, Inc. of Aliquippa, PA is transporting the load.