City officials have decided to repair the historic bridge that was destroyed on Christmas day by a young trucker who was unsure how much six tons weighed — and the restoration will be costly.
Truck driver Mary Lambright, 23, captured national attention when she attempted to drive her truck hauling 43,000 pounds of bottled water across a Paoli, Indiana, bridge with a 6-ton weight limit. The bridge, built in the 1880’s, could not handle either the height or weight of Lambright’s truck and collapsed. Lambright famously told police that she saw signage that indicated that the truck had a six-ton weight limit, but she wasn’t sure how much six tons weighed.
Paoli city officials have decided that they will restore the bridge, but repairs will likely cost more than one million dollars. The bridge will have to be disassembled and transported to another location where new parts can be fabricated, then moved back to the site and reassembled. Officials admit that simply building a new bridge would be cheaper, but residents have expressed a desire to keep as much of the old bridge as possible.
Lambright is facing charges and will have to appear in court on January 25.