Wayne Allen

PDT Staff Writer

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) announced Friday the northbound lanes of U.S. 23 would temporarily close two days next week.

According to released information the move is, “a part of an ongoing series of equipment moves from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Portsmouth site.”

The intermittent closures will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 24, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m for the northbound lanes of U.S. 23 and off-ramp at the DOE exit, just south of Piketon.

Other scheduled closure times include, Friday, Oct. 26; Wednesday, Oct. 31; and Thursday, Nov. 8 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Motorists should expect delays of 10 to 15 minutes between these hours.

“The move scheduled Monday is for one of four large synchronous condensers, the last equipment from the former X-533 electrical switch yard that was disassembled and removed from the DOE Portsmouth Site in Piketon. The other three condensers will be moved over the next three weeks,” said Jason Lovins, of Fluor-B&W Portsmouth. “Each condenser is 15 feet high, 32 feet long and weighs approximately 550,000 pounds.”

The equipment is being moved by Edwards Moving and Rigging of Shelbyville, Ky., and B&B Wrecking & Excavating of Cleveland. Once moved the equipment will be taken to a nearby staging area.

According to information from DOE the X-533 electrical switch yard was removed with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The 20-acre complex was one of two high-voltage switch yards that was used to power the site.

According to ODOT, each move will be conducted in a rolling operation and periods of closure are intermittent, there will be no posted detour. Officers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be assisting with traffic control.

Wayne Allen may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 208, or wallen@heartlandpublications.com.