J. Supor & Sons Trucking and Rigging Co. of Harrison, N.J., move a cold box off Main Street and onto West Jefferson Street Tuesday on its way to AK Steel. That tight turn, however, put excessive stress on the unit and a steering component broke, said Paul Power, the project's construction manager. The subsequent fix delayed the box's arrival at AK Steel by about two hours.

A trailer carrying a massive, metal cold box drove through Main Street Tuesday on its way to the AK Steel plant in Butler Township. It was a sight to behold.

The cold box is huge, 17- by 18- by 200-feet and weighing 120 tons, making it difficult for the 78-wheeled trailer to transport it along Main Street and other streets.

"It's probably the biggest thing you'll ever see in this town," said Paul Power, the project's construction manager.

The cold box was moved from Allegheny Ludlow Steel in Brackenridge Monday morning to Lernerville and was scheduled to travel to AK Steel late in the afternoon.

The trailer turned onto Main Street about 10:45 a.m., and a group of onlookers gathered to take pictures of the structure and to watch the move.

"It is pretty impressive," said Rod McElravy as he watched at the corner of Main and Wayne streets. "And the state police are doing a fine job of coordinating traffic."

Eight state police officers helped escort the trailer, and they were assisted by a few city police officers.

J. Supor & Sons, a trucking and rigging company from Harrison, N.J., was hired to move the box.

The company faced some difficulties in the move."It consumes the entire road," said state police Sgt. Sarnese.To accommodate the height of the structure, traffic lights had to be moved and adjusted, a time-consuming process that disrupted traffic for much of the afternoon.Some onlookers questioned the route chosen, but Power said that was the only route that the state Department of Transportation approved.After turning right from Wayne Street onto South Main Street, the trailer turned left onto West Jefferson Street, then left onto Pillow Street, left again onto Hansen Avenue before arriving at AK Steel via its Armco Drive entrance.The move encountered an unexpected problem, however, when turning onto West Jefferson Street. According to Power, the tight turn put excessive stress on the unit, and a steering component broke.

The component was repaired, but the break delayed the box's arrival by two hours.The cold box, which is filled with aluminum piping and vessels, provides air separation and will help AK Steel's new furnace function once it is installed.Power said he hopes to have the box in operation by March.<br></bR><br></bR><br></bR>

A worker with G.T.S. in New Kensington moved a traffic light Tuesday so J. Supor & Sons Trucking and Rigging Co. of Harrison, N.J. could move a cold box off Main Street to AK Steel.