Giant B-1 bomber slowly making way across Oregon
PORTLAND, Ore. – A giant dismantled B-1 bomber is making a slow trip through Oregon and will pass through Eugene early Wednesday morning.
The jet bomber is being hauled from Tucson, Ariz., to the Boeing plant in Renton, Wash. Its three-day journey through Oregon will take it up I-5 from the California border to I-205 and into Washington.
The jet is one of the largest loads that to pass on Oregon highways, an Oregon Department of Transportation official said. Some large windmill blades are longer but are significantly narrower.
The B-1 is 135 feet long, 29 feet wide and 15 feet tall.
The truck hauling the plane will average about 45 miles per hour while traveling down main highways. The load takes up two lanes, although the convoy will periodically pull over to let faster traffic pass.
Three pilot vehicles will lead the truck and three other vehicles will follow behind. There is also a team from Boeing to monitor the jet’s condition and a spare truck to haul the plane if necessary.
The convoy is parked in Glendale, Ore., on Tuesday and plans to make its way north again starting at 10 p.m.
During the day the convoy parks at rest stops along the highway.
The load will travel only on major highways, except for a four mile stretch through Albany where a narrow bridge would cause problems.
The B-1 was recently decommissioned and will undergo tests at the Boeing plant in Renton.
B-1 bombers carry the largest payload of bombs of any plane in the U.S. Air Force. They can travel at more than 900 miles per hour and cost close to $300 million each.
