A 73-metre-long superload will make its way through Melbourne to Wodonga over three nights, starting this Sunday January 19.
The transportation of the load will cause “significant disruptions” to traffic along the route at times, particularly in metropolitan areas, where rolling closures will result in temporary detours and delays.
On Sunday, there will be temporary lane closures from 10pm along Springvale Road, then through Doncaster, Templestowe, Yallambie, and Watsonia, and along the M80 Ring Road and the Hume Freeway, before the load pulls over at the Beveridge rest area.
From 9pm Monday, January 20, the load will travel north along the Hume Freeway from Beveridge, leaving the freeway at Tallarook to use Main Road, Schoolhouse Lane and Dysart Road before returning to the freeway and arriving at the Wangaratta rest area by early Tuesday morning.
The load will then continue north along the Hume Freeway to Wodonga from 10pm Tuesday, 21 January. Once the load arrives at the Wodonga rest area, New South Wales Police will take over coordination for the remainder of the journey through New South Wales.
The load travels at speeds of up to 60km/h. When travelling over bridges or around corners, the load will slow to around 5km/h.
Due to its 5.3-metre width, this load will take up the entire width of some roads, however there will be limited opportunities to pass under supervision of the specialist support crew.
Traffic management officers and load escorts will accompany the load for the entire journey, making sure that roads are safe during and after the move.
They will help to manoeuvre the vehicle safely around corners, temporarily removing signs and lights, placing steel supports over existing drainage and then putting everything back in place once the load has passed through.
Victoria Police will also be present during the complex operation to help ensure there is no obstruction to the safe transport of the load.
Transport Victoria has asked drivers to be patient when encountering the load in transit, and to follow the direction of the traffic controllers escorting the load.
There will be no designated viewing opportunities available, and Transport Victoria has asked the community to “stay well clear for their own safety” when the load is in transit and when parked.