Giant Electromagnet Scheduled to Arrive at Fermilab Friday

Written by Amanda Luevano

A giant electromagnet is finally en route to Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, just outside Batavia, after traveling more than 3,000 miles by barge.

The 50-foot-wide particle storage ring arrived at the Ozinga port in Lemont on Saturday after a four-week trip from New York. On Sunday the ring was transferred to a specially designed truck so it could begin a three-night trek across Illinois roads on Tuesday night.

The ring is one of the widest loads ever to be transported across roads in Illinois, according to Fermilab officials, so the proposed route takes it across the widest roads available, including I-355 and I-88. 

The magnet reached Costco in Bolingbrook early Wednesday morning, and remained there until night. By Thursday morning it will reach Hidden Lake Forest Preserve in Glen Ellyn.

The electromagnet is then expected to arrive on the Fermilab site early Friday morning.

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