A nearly 684,000-pound paper mill machine will start the final leg of its slow-moving journey Monday night.
The machine, a heat recovery steam generator from the former Androscoggin Mill in Jay, will depart from Buxton at 9 p.m., according to the Maine State Police.
It is expected to cross a local bridge starting at 10 p.m., requiring all other traffic to be detoured because of the size of the load — it’s 20 feet wide, more than 19 feet tall and 219 feet long.
Once across the bridge, it will crawl toward South Portland. On the way, it will have to cross a Maine Turnpike bridge, which is expected to happen between 1 and 2 a.m. Tuesday, the state police said Monday morning.
The super oversize load will reach its ultimate destination, Turner Island in South Portland, which is home to a shipping company and gas terminal, about 6 a.m.
This is the first of nine such loads. Once the heat recovery steam generator completes its journey, officials will announce a schedule for the remaining eight loads.
The load was originally expected to reach South Portland last Tuesday after a two-night journey. But after departing from Riley Road in Jay, it failed to reach a key bridge in time. It then began making a more painstakingly slow journey, traveling from Turner to Buxton over three nights.