Heaviest Load on Highway Crawls Through Canada

The largest load ever to hit Alberta’s highways has begun its 77 mile journey.

The splitter, a piece of petrochemical equipment, is being moved from Edmonton to a work site near Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.

According to the Alberta government, the “historic super load” weighs 820 tonnes and measures 96 metres long – making it about as heavy as eight blue whales.

The splitter is so large that it takes up the width of an entire two-lane road, including the shoulder. People driving in its path are being warned to expect delays as it will be travelling below the speed limit and occasionally against the flow of traffic.

The splitter left Edmonton Sunday night, and stopped at a rest area outside the city early Monday morning. It is scheduled to be moved to Lamont, Alta., on Tuesday before making the final leg of its journey on Wednesday.

Once complete in late 2021, the Heartland Petrochemical Complex is scheduled to be Canada's first integrated propane dehydrogenation and polypropylene facility.