Transformer deliveries may snarl traffic

LYNN – It’ll be like a parade, only different.On Tuesday, Aug. 26, and again on Thursday, Aug. 28, State Police cruisers with flashing lights will escort oversized delivery trailers carrying massive electrical transformers through the streets of Lynn, Lynnfield and Wakefield.Depending on road conditions, the trip is expected to take approximately four hours, so motorists should stay tuned, according to National Grid spokesman Deborah Drew.National Grid plans to transport the mega-sized equipment starting at the industrial pier off the Lynnway and ending at Wakefield Junction, where the transformers will be installed in a power substation currently under construction.For each transformer delivery, a 141-foot, oversized trailer will carry one 220-ton transformer. Once in Wakefield, local police will accompany the transformer delivery as Montrose Avenue in Wakefield will be closed for approximately one hour while the transformer trailer enters the substation area.National Grid estimates that on Aug. 26, Montrose Avenue will be closed between noon and 1 p.m. for the delivery, and on Aug. 28, it will again be closed between 11 p.m. and midnight, according to Drew.All dates and times for the transformer moves are contingent upon weather and traffic conditions, she said. A second set of transformers will be delivered in the fall, for a total of four, all of which are scheduled for installation this year.The Wakefield Junction substation transformers – which measure 33 feet long, 12.5 feet wide and 14 feet tall – are capable of converting between 345kv and 115kv of electricity into smaller voltages, which can be more easily used by smaller substations.Drew said National Grid’s new substation is part of a substantial reliability improvement project now under way for the region’s electric transmission system. This upgrade will help National Grid provide enough electricity capacity to meet the area’s future needs for electricity, she said.The company’s 115 kV transmission system, a component of the new substation, provides electricity to the Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department. It, in turn, provides electricity for the businesses and residences in Wakefield.Site work at the substation began in August 2007. Substation construction is well under way with major foundation work nearing completion. Control buildings at the substation are also nearly complete, and should be ready by the time the facility opens in fall 2009.