Chevron Set For Massive Fuel Drum Haul Down PCH

EL SEGUNDO (CBSLA.com) — Another super-sized cargo will soon be rolling through the streets of Southern California.

KNX 1070's John Brooks reports Chevron is preparing to roll six massive steel cylinders down Pacific Coast Highway.

The 100-foot-long drums used to manufacture petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel are 28 feet in diameter and each weighs approximately 500,000 pounds.

Known as coke drums, the cargo will make its way from King Harbor in Redondo Beach up Pacific Coast Highway through Hermosa Beach and Manhatten Beach before finally arriving at the Chevron refinery in El Segundo.

Similar to transports of the LACMA boulder and the Space Shuttle Endeavour, the drums will ride on a special transporter and will require trees to be trimmed and street lights and power lines dropped and replaced.

Chevron's Jeff Wilson said the customized 32-axle, 128-wheel platform vehicle designed for transporting massive objects that are too big or heavy for trucks will make its way mostly during nighttime hours.

"Late at night, when it's the lowest traffic count from Caltrans standards down PCH," Wilson said.

The drums - which will replace the old coke drums installed in 1968 to keep the refinery in operation - are scheduled to travel two at a time on Feb. 20, Feb. 27 and Mar. 6.

Chevron produces approximately 20 percent of the motor vehicle fuels used in Southern California at the El Segundo facility.

The project is expected to bring between 2,000 and 3,000 short-term jobs to the region.

For more info, visit the El Segundo refinery's Coke Drum Project website. For traffic detours, click here.