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Local law enforcement officials are escorting Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) transportation crews onto Richmond roadways Monday as they move a large, empty vessel to the BGCAPP construction site at the Blue Grass Army Depot.

The heavy-haul convoy will consist of police personnel, a 200-foot-long tractor trailer (greater in length than two basketball courts) carrying the vessel, and both lead and trailing vehicles. Traffic control points will be maintained at key intersections to ensure public and convoy safety.

The vessel reached Man O' War Boulevard at about 3:45 p.m. By about 4:45 p.m., it should reach exit 108 on I-75. It will then travel south to exit 87, arriving there around 5:15 p.m. The Vessel should arrive at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant construction site at around 5:45 - 6:15 p.m.

The vessel is concluding a 1,800-mile journey from southeastern Idaho following a year-long fabrication, rigorous testing and painting effort before shipment to central Kentucky. Since departing Idaho in mid January, the transportation crews and vessel have traveled through Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee en route to Kentucky.

The vessel, nearly 50-feet tall and weighing nearly 100 tons, is made of high-grade, solid carbon steel measuring 2-inches thick. During plant operations, the vessel will house inert nitrogen gas which will serve an instrumental role at BGCAPP as it will ensure that a combustion-free environment is maintained as the Blue Grass chemical weapons stockpile is safely and efficiently destroyed.
For timely updates on the vessel's progress, please visit the project's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pmacwa.