BARRY EBERLING
CARNEROS -- A tractor-trailer carrying a huge, white liquid hydrogen tank moved slowly through Napa County on its way to Calistoga -- and at one point stalled at a tight turn at rural Buhman Avenue and Congress Valley Road.
Talk about a road hog. At 234 feet long and 17 feet high, this setup became an attention-grabber on Friday afternoon.
Given the load wouldn't fit beneath overpass bridges, the tractor-trailer didn't take the main drag of Highway 29 for part of the journey. As it turned out, the narrow, rural back roads near Browns Valley also posed a challenge.
The destination was Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s Calistoga Resiliency Center microgrid, which is designed to provide power when the utility turns off Upvalley power lines in times of wildfire danger.
At about 12:30 p.m., the tractor-trailer started along Highway 12/121 in Carneros. The first hour or so went smoothly. Then operators tried to make that sharp left turn along a rural bridge on Buhman Avenue outside of Browns Valley.
People are also reading... Woman dies after being found near Highway 29 in St. Helena Police: Mental health incident prompted Napa shelter-in-place order Yountville man arrested in connection with fatal hit-and-run in St. Helena Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company closing St. Helena coffee shop St. Helena Police: Napa woman killed in suspected hit-and-run was 'avid walker' Head-on collision on Silverado Trail leaves drivers in hospital Wine attorney Richard Mendelson says Napa Valley can find 'common ground' Napa Police: Store theft leads to pursuit, crash, possible charges Big hydrogen tank load creeps along Napa roads Napa County supervisors uphold Vida Valiente winery on appeal Napa Blues, Brews & BBQ returns in October with car show Letter: Mary's Pizza Shack doesn't treat employees well Bing vs Google: AI competition heats up Historic St. Helena hardware, housewares store consolidating into single space Police: Driver was on drugs when he fatally hit pedestrian in St. Helena
By 3 p.m., the tank was still at the bridge, but seemed ready to move again. Removing some of the many protruding trailer tires helped do the trick.
The route was then to go through neighborhoods in the city of Napa -- down Buhman Avenue in Browns Valley, Browns Valley Road and Redwood Road to Highway 29.
Mike Risso of Napa was among those waiting. He rode a bike along Buhman Avenue near Browns Valley Elementary School, having seen an Alert Napa County notice that a heavy equipment transport operator would be passing through.
"More curious than anything," he said, and he wasn't alone -- people turned out to see the sight and take photos.
California Highway Patrol cars provided the escort. According to an email by county Public Works Director Steve Lederer, the setup included tree crews and crews to lift power lines.
As it moved along, the tank created traffic snarls. The tractor-trailer couldn't simply put on a blinker to make a slow left turn on rural roads. The CHP stopped oncoming traffic.
This California leg of this journey began at the Arizona border, CHP Officer Greg Kraft said.
At one point, the tank went through Lodi north of Stockton. There, the big load caused lengthy traffic delays, the Lodi News-Sentinel reported on Wednesday. The newspaper quoted a Caltrans official as saying the tank contained liquid hydrogen. Kraft said the tank went through the Knights Landing and Woodland areas of Yolo County, onto and then off Interstate 80, then passed through Vacaville and Fairfield on its way to Napa.
"These oversized loads don't take direct routes," Kraft said.
Energy Vault is constructing the Calistoga Resiliency Center for PG&E. A company news release said this will be "the first of its kind and the largest utility-scale green hydrogen energy storage project in the United States."
you can reach Barry Eberling at 707-256-2253 or beberling@ napanews.com
Be the first to know
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.