Traffic on Hwy. 6 through Imperial was backed up for awhile last Thursday while trucks hauling large wind turbine blades made their way around the corners at the coop office and at the Hwy. 6/61 junction to continue north on Hwy. 61 towards Grant. A spokesperson with the truck service said they transport a lot of wind turbine blades around the country, but said these were the longest they had ever moved at 236 feet. These blades were picked up on the Texas coast and have made their way across Texas, parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. They are headed for a project near Milligan, Nebraska.
They key to turning corners is the triple-axle dolly near the end of the blade. The direction of the wheels is controlled by remote control, allowing the unit to change direction to maneuver around corners . The wheels then straighten back out for transport down the highway.
The trio of trucks and their blades headed north on Hwy. 61 but hit a snag when they came to the Hwy. 23/61 junction, three miles east of Grant. According to the spokesperson, the route design did not account for all of the light poles at the intersection, preventing them from making a right-hand turn to proceed east down Hwy. 23. As of Tuesday, they were still parked on the shoulder awaiting the necessary permitting and routing to continue to their destination.
