Motorists warned about delays on M25 and M23 due to huge transporter

Motorists are being warned they could face delays as a transporter will be travelling at 12 miles per hour along the M25 '“ potentially causing a tailback on the M23 around Crawley.

The transporter – which measures 68 metres long and 5.3 metres wide – is moving a National Grid transformer from Tilbury Docks, in Essex, to its West Weybridge substation in Surrey.

The big load will take to the road at approximately 7pm on Friday, August 17 and is expected to arrive at the substation by 4pm on Sunday, August 19.

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However, the transporter will make a 24 hour stop at Clacket Lane Services in a bid to help reduce disruption on the Saturday.

The equipment which weighs in at 143 tonnes will be installed at the substation to help National Grid continue to deliver electricity to homes and businesses across the South and beyond.

The journey

The transformer will leave Tilbury Docks via the A109 and will travel north until it meets the A13.

It will travel along the A13, onto the A1306, and continue until the junction with the A282 towards Queen Elizabeth II Bridge (Dartford Crossing).

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Once it has crossed the bridge, it will exit at Junction 1A and re-join the M25 at Junction 2, due to a weight restriction.

The delivery vehicle will arrive at Clacket Lane Services at approximately 4am on Saturday, August 18 and will leave at approximately 6am the following day.

The transformer will then exit the M25 at Junction 11 and continue on the A320 south until the roundabout with the turning for the A245.

It will follow the A245 and B385 on Woodham Lane, before turning right into Pinewood Grove, left into Parkside and into the substation entrance.

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If you were planning to drive along this route it is worth considering an alternative to avoid any congestion.

National Grid

Most of National Grid’s substations were built between the 1950s and 1970s and equipment such as transformers need to be replaced to keep them working efficiently.

New transformers are also installed to connect new sources of generation or when demand for electricity is growing.

Aleksandra Zefirova, National Grid Project Engineer said: “Our network operates smoothly, safely and efficiently over 99.9999% of the time – a statistic we’re very proud of.

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“Millions of people rely on us to supply their electricity without interruption, day in, day out and so it’s important that we keep our substations and the equipment in them working efficiently.”

If people have any questions about the delivery, they can ring the National Grid hotline on 0800 019 3235 between 9am and 5.30pm or email [email protected].

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