BELFAST, Maine — An unusual jaywalker briefly tied up traffic on a busy Belfast bridge Wednesday morning.
Belfast police Sgt. John Gibbs said a moose crossed the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge, which carries Route 1 over the Passagassawakeag River, shortly before 8 a.m. The lanky-legged animal jaunted over the bridge from Belfast’s East Side before continuing his trek south down Route 1.
People heading into work captured the moose on camera as it swerved from one lane to another, slowly making its way across the span. Those pictures circulated on social media Wednesday.
Just a moose holding up traffic on the bridge in Belfast this morning.
(Photo by our web designer on his morning commute.) pic.twitter.com/GMW4f188Lb— Down East Magazine (@MagazineofMaine) April 19, 2017
Belfast PD: You may experience heavy moose traffic on the Passagassawakeag River Veterans Memorial bridge this morning. Thanks Sgt. Gibbs. pic.twitter.com/5RAoLCuilN
— Nit-Noi Ricker (@MaineNitNoi) April 19, 2017
Gibbs said an officer spotted the moose later in the morning on a beach in Northport. He also said sightings were reported around Bayside, a seaside community about 5 miles south of Belfast.
Last June, a car struck a moose on Route 1 beyond the bridge, near the High Street overpass. The impact killed the moose, and a resident took the animal home for meat, according to the Republican Journal.
Gibbs said local police would be keeping an eye on the moose’s movements in hopes of avoiding another crash on Route 1. He said motorists traveling that stretch of road should keep a close eye out until the moose gets to wherever it’s going.
Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.