The Maine Turnpike Authority is trying to prevent incidents like one last Friday when a chunk of concrete
The Maine Turnpike Authority is trying to prevent incidents like one last Friday when a chunk of concrete fell from a highway bridge onto a passing motorist on Interstate 295 in Falmouth.
The Maine Turnpike Authority board was told at its regular meeting Thursday that highway workers check older bridges for pieces of loose concrete that can fall on vehicles, and remove them when they're found.
In the case in Falmouth, a chunk of concrete fell from the bridge carrying the Falmouth Spur and crashed through the windshield of a passing vehicle. The driver was uninjured.
Turnpike Chief Operations Officer Peter Merfeld says an older type of bridge was built with concrete "haunches" that sit on top of bridge girders.
Merfeld says the haunches were wider than the girder, overhanging the road, and they can start to break and fall as they age.
On newer bridges, the haunches are the same width as the girders so there is no overhang.