Tanks for the beer! Giant Labatt delivery could see trouble brewing on traffic front

Beware of bottlenecks, London.

A massive shipment of beer tanks heading to London's largest brewery is travelling through the city on Tuesday afternoon and may cause delays in traffic.

Four giant beer tanks will enter the city between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. while en route from Lambton County to their final destination at Labatt Breweries, the City of London said. 

The shipment will enter the city on Fanshawe Park Road and travel east to Highbury Avenue. From there, it will head south to Hamilton Road and Horton Street, then along Richmond and Grey Streets to the brewery.

Londoners should expect delays and use alternative routes if possible, the city said. 

The load measures more than 33 metres in length, about the size of a blue whale, and 6.62 metres in width, the city said. It will likely occupy two traffic lanes and travel at slower speeds.

The tanks are a $13.5-million investment from Labatt as they expand their capacity in the city, said Hannah Love, Labatt's senior director of external affairs and communications.

Together, the tanks can hold 597,000 hectolitres of beer, she said, enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool nearly 24 times. 

"We did this in 2005 as well and we're doing it again because we're meeting our consumer demand," Love said. 

She added the shipment could lead to power outages in and around the city. 

"We worked with power companies to notify people," said Love. "They are working really hard to make it as easy as possible and to give people as little disruption as possible."

Police presence is expected as the tanks journey through the city.

Transit riders are advised to visit the LTC website for service updates and detours and the most up-to-date information.