Waukesha intersection reopens after being blocked by transformer
Waukesha - Waukesha police reported shortly after 2 p.m. that the intersection of East Ave. and Highway 164 was open to traffic about six hours after a trailer hitch malfunction separated a trailer and the massive transformer it was carrying from the tractor, blocking the busy intersection.
Several attempts to move the trailer failed primarily because of the weight, and crews feared it might take a couple of days to ship in a specialized trailer from another state.
However, workers were able to finally connect the trailer and move it far enough down the road so it was no longer blocking the intersection.
Oremus, who initially reported the transformer's weight at 225,000, updated the information, saying it weighed 140,000 pounds - or 70 tons. The combined weight of the transformer, trailer and tractor was 243,000 pounds, he said.
The transformer was bound from the former Waukesha Electric - now SPX Transformer Solutions - to Oklahoma. Traffic was temporarily rerouted during the intersection closure.