A partly dismantled B-1 bomber could cross into Oregon from California on Interstate 5 as soon as Sunday night, unless snow postpones the trip, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced.
A convoy of one hauler truck carrying the decommissioned bomber and six pilot vehicles will travel three nights in Oregon to the Boeing factory in Renton, Wash. for post-retirement tests.
Even with the wings detached, the jet load spans 29 feet wide across two freeway lanes. The 135-foot-long bomber is one of the largest over-sized loads to travel through the state, just 20 feet shorter than a load of windmill blades.
The convoy will stay on Interstates 5 and 205 for most of the trip, with designated points to pull over for passing traffic.
The only exception is a four-mile detour through Albany to avoid crossing a narrow bridge. Some mailboxes and street signs on Century Drive Northeast, which lies adjacent to Interstate 5, will be removed for the wide load, according to ODOT.
The convoy will only travel at night, between the graveyard hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The vehicles will travel 25 mph the first night and 45 mph the next two nights.
By 10 p.m. Sunday, the plane will reach Oregon. By Tuesday morning, the plane will be in Albany. And by Wednesday morning, the load will complete its journey from Tuscon, Ariz. and cross the Glenn Jackson Bridge into Washington.
More details to come Sunday about traffic updates.
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