Traffic Gets Backed Up For Over a Mile in Westbrook, Maine By a Boat
Some drivers heading eastbound on Route 302 in Westbrook around noon time on January 31 may have been a little frustrated around when they found themselves in a long, slow-moving line of traffic without knowing what was causing it.
I was heading westbound on 302 when I saw cars pulling over to the side of the road just before Pride's Corner. I thought there were emergency vehicles coming through since the Pride's Corner Fire Station was nearby. None came, but off in the distance I could see a line of vehicles moving slowly toward me, lead by a maroon unmarked police car, which I assume was the State Police when I started to see what was coming my way.
After the cruiser came a truck with a long, upright pole attached to the left front of the vehicle next to an "Oversize Load" sign on the front bumper. I assumed a mobile home was on its way through, a pretty common sight on Maine's roads.
Then I saw it. A truck was towing a long six axel trailer on which was carefully perched, and a giant boat out of water, being transported somewhere. It looked like a giant parade float as it passed by and looked huge!
My phone was mounted on the dash so I fired up the camera and captured video of it as it went by.
After the boat went past, it was followed by several utility trucks that were following it to take wires down that the boat couldn't pass under. The pole on the truck was measuring the height of the wires and if any of them were too low, the utility trucks would get to work on taking them down.
The line of cars behind the boat was over a mile long from just before Pride's Corner to 1.3 miles away at the Westbrook Fire Department's Pride's Corner station. They probably weren't too happy as the truck rolled along at a slow pace.
I have no idea where the boat came from but can only assume it's headed to a marina somewhere near Portland.