Curious onlookers stood on the sidewalk Wednesday night to watch an oversized truck haul a more than 300-foot-long wind turbine blade through Moscow.

The blade’s journey began in Lewiston and entered downtown Moscow just before 10 p.m. It’s the first of more than 80 wind turbine blades that will take this route on the way to Jenner, Alberta, Canada, during the next two months. According to the Idaho Transportation Department, the largest loads measure up to 325 feet long and 137,000 pounds.

“In the Moscow area, the journey went mostly according to plan, if slower than expected,” ITD spokesperson Megan Jahns said in an email about Wednesday night’s trip.

Because of delays in Coeur d’Alene, the truck did not meet its goal of getting to Montana by daybreak, Jahns said. The transport company will finish moving the wind turbine out of Idaho tonight.

During these trips, a section of U.S. Highway 95 between Moscow and Thorn Creek will be closed so the truck can safely travel through the two-lane stretch of highway.

As it entered Washington Street on Wednesday, the truck slowed down as multiple pickup trucks with flashing lights and “oversize load” signs traveled in front and behind the big rig.

A small crowd of people stood in front of the Moose Lodge on Washington Street to watch the truck make its way through the tricky S-curve between the Moose Lodge and First Street.

The rig had to stop, reverse, and try again several times as it worked its way through the curvy section. The tail end of the wind turbine blade grazed overhanging tree branches along the way.

A handful of unlucky cars got caught behind the slow-moving traffic and had to take detours on different routes.

Jahns said this was a test trip, but in the future the transport company plans to move three wind turbine blades every other night. Each load will depart roughly 30 minutes apart.

She said the transport company expects to make the next round of trips tonight, but as of Thursday afternoon they did not yet have an approved permit to move the next load.

The earliest the trucks will be allowed to leave the Port of Lewiston is 7:30 p.m. She expects the first trucks to enter Moscow around the 9:30-10 p.m. range.

Parking on Washington Street and near the Main and A street intersection is prohibited during these nights starting at 6 p.m.

Traffic impacts can be found at 511.idaho.gov.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.