by Guy Page
It took just nine days, 23 hours and 17 minutes for the first Stuckage of Smugglers Notch of 2025.
At 11:17 AM Monday morning May 19 the Vermont Agency of Transportation reported that “VT-108 Between Stowe and Cambridge ‘Smugglers Notch’ is CLOSED while crews work to remove a stuck Tractor Trailer. Drivers should expect delays in the area and seek an alternate route. An updated notice will be sent out when the roadway is clear.”
By mid-afternoon, state troopers revealed the operator, Musa Boima, 36, of Maryland, was traveling from Waterbury to Enosburg when he chose to disregard several signs stating tractor trailers were prohibited, and decided to drive around chicanes that were installed at the entrance to the notch road.
Boima claimed he saw a sign telling him he could drive through. As a result, the Notch was closed for about three hours while Polar Bear Towing and Recovery assisted with getting the tractor trailer out. Boima was issued a civil traffic ticket for “driving on lanes for traffic” and per Vermont law, the company Boima works for was issued a ticket for “tractor trailer in the notch” which carries a fine of $2,347.
The high-altitude, twisty-turny, impassable-in-winter road through the beautiful, fabled Smugglers Notch was opened up for vehicular travel at noon on May 9. For the second year, the road would feature ‘chichanes’ to discourage drivers of over-sized trucks from attempting the temptingly-direct route other than the approved bypass through Morrisville.
In the May 9 announcement, AOT declared:
- Crews are opening the gates on either side of the mountain and message boards have been illuminated indicating the reopening.
- Vehicles over 40-feet and combination vehicles over 45-feet in length are NOT permitted.
- Motorists are advised to exercise caution and patience at the Stowe and Cambridge sides of Smugglers Notch as traffic control devices have been installed again this season. These devices, known as chicanes, recreate the configuration of the roadway geometry at the top of the Notch. The objective of the chicanes is to allow overlength vehicles the ability to turn around before causing obstructions in the Notch.
