Swindon & Wiltshire News
Transformer set to bring road congestion to Wiltshire roads
A giant transformer will bring congestion to Wiltshire’s roads this weekend, police have warned.
Disappointingly, the transformer in question is not of the ‘robots in disguise’ variety from the toy and movie franchise, but a a giant piece of electrical kit, which will be driven on the back of a lorry from from Avonmouth Docks near Bristol to a substation at Melksham on Sunday morning, October 27.
At 5.10m wide, 65ft long and weighing 254 tonnes, the load is one of the largest ever to be brought through Wiltshire.
Departing Avonmouth at around 6:45am and travelling at a maximum of 12mph it is expected to take five hours to reach Leigh Delamere services on the M4.
Continuing on from there it will exit the M4 at junction 17 heading south on the A350 towards Chippenham and then onto the A4 towards Corsham. This section is expected to take around three hours to complete.
The final two hours will see the transporter turning left onto the B3109 and then follow the A365 towards Melksham before turning left onto the B3353 and right into Westlands Lane.
A police escort, provided by officers on rest days and paid for by the haulier, will be provided throughout.
A police spokesman warned: “Because of the size and slow speed of the transporter people are advised to ensure they allow plenty of time to complete any planned journeys,” and confirmed “no, it’s not a robot in disguise).
