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The transport of a “super oversize” load — approximately 220 feet long and roughly 20 feet wide — to South Portland has been delayed.

The heat recovery steam generator began its two-night journey from Jay on Tuesday night, and was originally due to arrive in South Portland by 6 a.m. Thursday.

But because its progress has been slower than anticipated, it’s now due to arrive in South Portland next Tuesday morning, with incremental progress each night, according to the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office.

Wednesday night, it was to travel from Turner to Oxford, including over Jumper Bridge. Over Thursday night, the generator will travel from Oxford to Gray, resulting in traffic delays on Route 26 in Mechanic Falls and Poland. It will be staged in Gray over the weekend and moved to Buxton on Sunday night.

Monday night will be the final push before it arrives in South Portland the next morning. Law enforcement officers, utility crews and other personnel are assisting the transport of the generator, which weighs more than 683,000 pounds. 

These generators are typically used at industrial facilities or power plants, and while it’s on the road, it spans two travel lanes. Residents and businesses have been asked to avoid parking along the route while the load is being transported to avoid obstruction, and drivers have been encouraged to plan ahead and allow extra travel time.

It’s the first of nine oversize loads planned along this route. The schedule for the remaining eight loads will be released once the current one is complete, according to the Maine Department of Transportation.

A spokesman for the MDOT did not say whether the delay will impact the timelines for the other loads.

A spokesman for Barnhart Crane & Rigging, the company overseeing the transport, did not immediately respond to questions about the timeline.