A tractor-trailer carrying a wind turbine blade collided with a railroad bridge that crosses over Route 1 in Stockton Springs early Friday, overturning the truck and shutting the road for hours. The blade, which was destined for the Downeast Wind wind farm being built in Columbia, was transferred to another tractor-trailer and returned to the Searsport Terminal early Saturday. Photo courtesy Maine Department of Public Safety

A 240-foot wind turbine blade struck a railroad bridge in Stockton Springs early Friday morning as it was being transported by a tractor-trailer, overturning the truck and shutting down part of U.S. Route 1 for nearly 12 hours Friday.

The blade was headed to Downeast Wind, a wind farm being built in Columbia, Washington County.

The driver did not position the vehicle far enough into the left lane to avoid the lower side of the train trestle, according to an initial investigation, Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said in a statement. The blade, mounted on brackets, struck the trestle, causing the truck and blade to roll over. No injuries were reported, and the bridge sustained only minor damage, Moss said.

“Due to the length of the windmill blade, turning the vehicle around is not feasible,” the statement said.

The blade was transferred to another tractor-trailer, which remained at the scene overnight with an escort vehicle before being hauled to the Searsport Terminal, where the blade originated, on Saturday morning.

A 240-foot wind turbine blade is hauled away Saturday morning after being transferred to a new truck after an incident Friday that shut down a portion of U.S. Route 1 in Stockton Springs for nearly 12 hours. Photo courtesy of Maine Department of Public Safety

Moss said in an update that the blade arrived in Searsport at 7 a.m. Saturday with no further issues.

After the blade was transferred between trucks, Route 1 reopened to traffic, save for a 10-minute closure early Saturday morning on a stretch of road covering just a few hundred yards, Moss said.

The Hancock Emergency Management Agency cautioned the public in June that “some inconveniences to commuters are inevitable” as the shipments of blades and other wind turbine components are transported along Maine’s highways. The equipment enters Hancock County at the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, Verona Island, and continues through Bucksport, Ellsworth, Sullivan and Gouldsboro.

Vestas Wind Systems of Denmark is the manufacturer of the blade, according to Rob Gee, development manager at Downeast Wind. A spokesperson for Vestas did not respond to an email Friday night seeking information about the blade’s condition, its origin or other information.

When it’s completed late this year or early 2025, Downeast Wind’s capacity will be 126 megawatts, enough to provide power to more than 37,000 homes a year.

Since July 8, two turbines a week have been delivered to Downeast Wind, or about one-third of the 30 that will eventually be erected, Gee said. One wind turbine tower has been put up so far, he said.

Many components are transported, but the blades “get the most attention because they’re colossal,” Gee said.