Historic covered bridge closed after truck falls through, creating gaping hole

A historic covered bridge in Maine is closed after an "overweight dump truck" fell through, creating a gaping hole, officials said.

It happened on Babb's Bridge between Gorham and Windham on Friday afternoon, the Maine Department of Transportation (DOT) said on Facebook. The bridge is expected to be closed for months, a press release states.

The Gorham Police Department shared photos of the crash scene on Facebook to alert the public to find an alternate route. 

"The excessive weight of the vehicle caused the wooden floor of the bridge structure to give way," the Facebook post said. 

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"The driver should be made to pay for repairing the bridge, it was not designed for large commercial vehicals," one Facebook user commented on the police department's post.

MaineDOT says the bridge, which is the state's oldest – originally built in 1840 – has a posted weight limit of three tons. Police said the dump truck was loaded with crushed gravel, causing MaineDOT to say the truck that caused the damage was likely "several times the posted weight limit."

It was determined the truck entered the bridge from the Gorham side before falling through the first panel of the bridge deck into the river below. 

Babb's Bridge is a single-lane, state-owned structure that spans the Presumpscot River. MaineDOT says about 360 vehicles cross the bridge daily. 

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The bridge has seen its share of troubles. After being burned by vandals in 1973, MaineDOT crews rebuilt an exact replica that opened in 1976. Vandals again struck in 2014, cutting holes in the bridge's roof. In 2015, the bridge was damaged by a snow plow.

The bridge is inspected by state officials at least every two years. Its last inspection was at the end of last month, MaineDOT said. The three-ton weight limit was posted on the bridge in 1983 and has not changed since then.

The truck driver was identified as Joshua Polewarzyk, 37, of Limington. He was driving a Ford F750, local TV station WMTW reports. He was able to get out of the truck, and suffered minor injuries. When the truck was pulled from the river, the logo of an asphalt contractor named The Driveway Guys was spotted on its side.  

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"The last time this bridge was damaged, they considered closing it to vehicles and only allowing pedestrian traffic," a local wrote on the police department's post. "I hope this doesn't push that agenda again. This is about a mile from my house and I go this way about 60% of the time."