While living in Pittsburgh, 20 years ago, the Subaru Telescope ( http://subarutelescope.org/ ) destined for Mauna Kea made its way from Lake Erie to Hawaii via Interstate 79. Here are some photos I took while it was at a rest stop. Background info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_Telescope

Some history: "PITTSBURGH, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Contraves Inc. is making the final preparations to receive and begin the process of grinding and polishing an 8.3-meter telescope primary mirror that will be the world's largest single-piece optical element. The mirror blank, fabricated by Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW), measures over 27 feet in diameter and is about nine inches thick. It will serve as the principal optical component for the Subaru Telescope, sponsored by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. Under a related contract from Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Contraves designed and fabricated related test equipment and tools required to carry out the project. Contraves converted an underground storage mine in Wampum, PA, near Pittsburgh, into an optical fabrication facility where the mirror will be ground, polished, figured and tested. Transportation of the blank is scheduled to begin Thursday, August 11, from Corning's Canton, NY, plant to the Port of Ogdensburg, where it will be taken by barge down the St. Lawrence River, across Lake Ontario and through the Welland Canal to the Port of Erie. There, the tractor-trailer will be driven off the barge to continue its journey down Route I-79 to the Wampum facility. Once there, Contraves will cut the mirror blank to its 8.3-meter diameter, grind and polish the rear surface and generate the center hole. This process also includes drilling more than 250 holes in the mirror blank's rear surface for actuators which actively control the mirror figure to compensate for mounting errors. The mirror will then be turned over so work can be continued on the mirror's front surface. The mirror will be finished in 1997 and the completed telescope is scheduled to be operational at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii before the year 2000. It will be used for astronomical research. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, with an additional operation in Tampa, FL, Contraves designs and manufactures sophisticated systems and precision instrumentation for commercial and defense applications in the areas of test and evaluation; simulation and training; surveillance; fire control; and original equipment manufacturing."
From http://www.thefreelibrary.com/CONTRAVES+PREPARING+TO+RECEIVE+WORLD'S+LARGEST+SINGLE-PIECE+TELESCOPE...-a015692134

Be sure to check out the telescope's specifications (fascinating): http://subarutelescope.org/Introduction/telescope.html