VicRoads escorted the truck and its 60-metre-long trailer through Ararat carrying the same type of large metal frame as a convoy three months ago.

The truck made its way slowly through Ararat on Thursday morning via the Western Highway.

The Ararat Advertiser asked readers for help in identifying the metal frame and its destination while official confirmation was sought.

There were many guesses at it being a wind turbine component or part of the Skyrail project to elevate the Cranbourne/Pakenham train line in Melbourne.

A public works engineer from Ballarat and the chief executive of Victoria’s Environmental Protection Authority also had their guesses on Twitter, but both did not manage to hit the nail quite on the head.

There were also a few Facebook users who might not have been entirely serious with their efforts.

Carolan Jenkins thought the metal frames might be for “a wall to divide those who think they are upper class to those who don't.”

Leeanne Wadham suggested that “Noah is building an Ark” and a few other users claimed it was for their new houses or sheds.

But, congratulations are in order for Facebook user Dale Pagram, who said the frames were for the EJ Whitten bridge upgrade, and partial credit for the people who guessed ‘bridge supports’.

The two 60-metre metal frames that have made their way through Ararat will be used to add two traffic lanes to the EJ Whitten Bridge on Melbourne’s M80 Ring Road.

The frames will support a 1700-tonne structure being assembled between the two existing concrete bridges over the Maribyrnong River between the Western Freeway and the Calder Freeway.

An order of 20 metal bridge supports is making its way from Adelaide to Melbourne at the moment, but VicRoads was unable to confirm how many more will pass through Ararat. 

On Thursday a truck carrying one of the bridge supports was escorted by multiple pilot vehicles in a a convoy that included a VicRoads enforcement vehicle and a van with an LED sign to signal to other drivers when it was safe to overtake.

The driver and crew stopped briefly outside McDonald’s to check the rear axles, which had to be attached directly to the cargo to create a trailer large enough to carry the frame.

A similar vehicle with an identical load, also travelling east on the highway, made its way through Horsham and Ararat in late August.

Like in August, many residents took the opportunity to take photos and videos with their phones

A VicRoads spokesperson was not available back in August to provide information on what the metal object was and where it was headed.