A wooden covered bridge in southern Maine was heavily damaged Friday when a fully loaded dump truck crashed through its floorboards.
Maine Department of Transportation spokesperson Paul Merrill says the truck was many times heavier than the bridge’s three-ton weight limit.
No injuries were reported.
"We’re lucky that someone wasn’t killed here, it’s an unfortunate incident but it’s an example of why our engineers inspect and post bridges," Merrill said.
Babbs Bridge was first built in 1840. An exact replica was installed after the original was destroyed by fire in the early 1970s.
Crews were working to pull the truck out of the river on Friday afternoon.
Merrill said repairs on the bridge could take months.
