The seconds ticked as a cavalcade of heavy equipment, state troopers and motorists inched through the Beverly-Waterford area Sunday.
At a top speed of nearly five miles per hour, more than 400,000 pounds of machinery made its way from Washington County 102 to Ohio 83.
Still, motorists remained calm and spectators watched intently with camera's in hand.
"I think the concentration is just on the sheer size and the fact that we haven't seen anything like this before," said Mary Mason, 56, of Waterford. Mason was one of the hundreds who gathered to watch the transition Sunday.
The first portion of a gas turbine to be used at the Duke Energy North America moved Sunday to the construction site off Ohio 83.
Duke Energy is constructing a $200 million gas-fueled electric generation plant on Ohio 83. The plant is expected to be operational in 2002.
During Sunday's move the Ohio 339 Muskingum River Bridge was closed to traffic for about one hour and maintained one-way for longer, while traffic on Ohio 60 was stopped for about an hour as a temporary bridge was installed.
While the move proves to be the first major event in a series of machinery transfers from railroad cars in Waterford, officials overseeing the project feel certain success will continue throughout the summer, as more equipment is transferred to the site. The move was expected to take a maximum of nearly eight hours.
With construction continuing, officials said about 11 additional pieces of equipment will follow the same path intermittently through Labor Day. Some will be lighter than Sunday's load and others will be heavier. The two plant generators, weighing 533,000 pounds each, will be the heaviest of all moves.
No schedule has been set for further moves.
"We definitely should be a lot more detailed after this move," said Don Johnson, roadway services engineer with the Ohio Department of Transportation. "We don't think the next several moves will be nearly as intrusive as this will be. Because this is a learning process for everyone."
Just as motorists and area residents were notified about a week in advance this time, signs will be posted in advance of future moves to allow time for travel preparations.
Officials will be examining the strain Sunday's load put on the bridge before making a definite decision about how other equipment transports will be managed.