BATTLE CREEK, MI (WNWN/WTVB) – The City of Battle Creek is giving drivers a heads up for the Thursday morning commute as Consumers Energy will have an oversized transformer move through the northeast side of the city.
Drivers are being asked to avoid the route as the very large vehicle moving the transformer will move very slowly at between five and eight miles an hour.
The multiple vehicles in this procession will start at the north end of Raymond Road, near the rail yard, at about 8 a.m. Thursday.
At such a slow speed, moving through this route will take about three hours:
South on Raymond Road to Emmett Street
West on Emmett Street to Capital Avenue NE/M-66
North on Capital NE to Morgan Road
West on Morgan to East Avenue N
North on East Avenue to the Consumers substation in Pennfield Township
Battle Creek Police will temporarily close the Emmett Street bridge over the Battle Creek River when the oversized load crosses, to ensure traffic doesn’t exceed the bridge’s weight limit. Officials expect this will happen sometime between 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
Traffic signals will operate normally during this time, so drivers should use extra care when they see the oversized load moving through.
Utility trucks will be moving along with the oversized load, in the center turn lanes. Because the transformer is about 20 feet tall, utility workers will lift wires along the route so the oversized load truck can move underneath them.
Battle Creek Transit’s 4N – NE Capital bus route will run on a detour from about 7:45-10:15 a.m., pending the transformer moving through the area as expected.
If you must drive this route, use caution and patience. Cars moving in the same direction will not be able to pass the oversized load procession. Cars moving in the opposite direction should not be affected.
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