PSC moves transformers from Kentucky barge to Ohio

The operation required each transformer to move from barge to land via 10 lines of SPMT, transfer onto heavy-haul over-the-road trailers for a 67-mile highway journey, then reverse the process at the destination; transferring back onto SPMT for a final half-mile move into position for jack-and-slide installation onto permanent foundations.

A flood on the Licking River one week before the scheduled barge delivery complicated the river landing significantly. The site had no barge securement points, was obstructed by scrap iron left from a previous bridge salvage operation and flooding had deposited mud across the landing area.

PSC mobilised RJ Corman Rail Services, which supplied two 36-tonne dozers with rear-drive winches to secure the barge to the riverbank. PSC crews cleared the scrap iron, scraped away mud, installed and compacted fresh stone, then used swamp mats and steel plates to build an elevated transition radius allowing the SPMT to move safely from barge to land.

At the Wilder landing, PSC used its 635-tonne hydraulic gantry to transload each transformer from SPMT onto the OTR trailers. At the Trenton destination, a 816-tonne hydraulic gantry transferred each unit back onto SPMT for the final move. Two 91-tonne hydraulic cranes supported gantry assembly operations throughout.