A Cape Breton man says getting caught behind a wind turbine haul on Highway 104 was not just frustrating but scary.
Over the next eight weeks 192 parts will be moved from Mulgrave to Pictou County for the Weavers Mountain Wind Energy Project. The farm, planned for the end of this year, is set to produce electricity for 33,000 homes.
SWEB Energy, the company behind the project says, some blades are over 80 metres long.
Malcolm Gillis tells our newsroom, earlier this week, he and his wife got stuck behind the equipment out of nowhere and what should have been a 40-minute drive from Aulds Cove to James River, took an extra hour.
“I thought… this is an awful huge piece of equipment to be moving on a highway,” explains Gillis. “Even when there was a passing lane, they wouldn’t let you pass because the vehicle and what it was transporting was so large.”
He says not only was everything backed up, but it was also unnerving.
“You’re wondering if the person behind you is going to realize that suddenly you have to come to a stop,” he says. “At no indication was there any message that said, ‘expect this until James River’.”
Not only that, he says, they’re huge.
“They’re much bigger than the first-generation wind turbines that first went up,” explains Gillis. “Much bigger.”
Gillis says he doesn’t think the province did enough to inform the public about what to expect once on the highway.
“There’s a bottleneck when the passing lane ends and everyone’s screeching to a halt,” says Gillis. “Lots of people had hazard lights on.”
He says it was bumper to bumper.
“Maybe others were on the way to the Halifax airport,” explains Gillis. “Lots of Cape Bretons have to go to Halifax for a medical appointment. If you were behind that transport you’re going to be late for work.
Gillis says he is going to ask the province to better communicate about what is happening and to give a warning about delays.
In an email to our newsroom Public Works spokesperson Gary Andrea says the company had to get a Special Move Permit.
“Traffic management was put in place prior to the movement as well as traffic control setups,” says Andrea.
In some cases, Andrea says, there are escorts by Vehicle Transportation Inspection staff or police.
