(David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net) Updated 7:19 a.m. Friday The fuselage of the US Airways jet known as the "Miracle on the Hudson" plane reached I-77 in Virginia Thursday morning. After a Thursday night at rest stop at NC line, it's expected to pass through the Lake Norman area on I-77 Friday as it makes its way to a new home at Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte. Oversize load is an understatement on this one. The jet is on a nearly 150-foot long flatbed truck that weighs 254,000 pounds. It's more than 15 feet wide and takes up two highway lanes. The truck spent the night parked at Mile 19 on I-77 southbound near Bluefield, W. Va., and was expected to get on I-77 Thursday. (Follow its progress by following Carolinas Aviation Museum @CarolinAirMusem on Twitter; we'll also be re-Tweeting their messages.) Drivers got quite a site off I-77 Thursday afternoon. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net) A spokesman at the aviation museum says the truck will spend the night in an I-77 rest area near Fancy Gap, Va., and head to Charlotte Friday morning. It could arrive in Charlotte around midday, which would put it in the Lake Norman area as early as late morning. (Follow its progress at one of the links below.) The US Airways Airbus A320 was on its way to Charlotte from New York's LaGuardia Airport on Jan. 15, 2009, when a bird strike shut down its engines right after takeoff. Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III managed to land the plane in the Hudson River, and all 155 passengers and crew were rescued by a flotilla of boats. The plan had been stored in a Newark, N.J., warehouse until last week. J.Supor & Son Trucking & Rigging built a special six-axle trailer for the job. The wings have been removed, and are being brought separately to Charlotte. The N.C. Department of Transportation said it has issued an oversize/overweight permit for the trip through the state. Taking up two lanes, the plane began the more than 800-mile trip to Charlotte Saturday, and has had to avoid low bridges and go around toll booths, according to NC DOT. In some locations, utility lines and traffic signals had to be temporarily taken down to allow the trailer to get through. After reaching southern New Jersey last weekend, it went down I-95 before taking I-70 near Baltimore. Then, it took I-68 into West Virginia before going south through the mountains on I-79. The caravan got on I-77 South in Charleston, W.Va., Tuesday, and stopped Wednesday night near Bluefield, where I-77 and the West Virginia Turnpike intersect. It will continue on I-77 into North Carolina on Thursday. On Friday, it will head south on I-77, then get on I-85 in Charlotte on Friday morning. It will exit onto Billy Graham Parkway, turn onto West Boulevard, and continue on Yorkmont Road to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport Air Cargo terminal. The museum is near the airport. The plane's fuselage is partially uncovered during the trip so people can see it as it travels by. Thousands of people have stopped along the highways or on overpasses to get a look. On Saturday, there will be a private reception and showing for Capt. Sullenberger, other members of his crew and the passengers who in many cases will be seeing the plane for the first time since the crash. That night, there will be a fundraiser for the museum exhibit, with Capt. Sullenberger as the featured speaker. The progress of the trip to Charlotte can be tracked via Twitter, Facebook or the website of J. Supor & Son, which is handling the transport. Photos of the plane as it makes its way to North Carolina are also available via yfrog. CORRECTION: This article has been updated to correct the timing of the truck's passage through the Lake Norman area. RELATED LINKS Jan. 16, 2009 "After NY crash, Davidson family welcomes dad's return" Flight 1549's fuselage is on a long flatbed truck. (Photo via NC DOT)
DavidsonNews.net: Look For 'Miracle On The Hudson' Jet On I-77 Friday
