The notorious 100th Street Bridge in Byron Township, Michigan, was hit this morning by a truck driver hauling a modular home.
The bridge strike happened at 11 a.m. when the oversized load was traveling in the northbound right lane of U.S. 131. The load hit the 100th Street Bridge, causing some scuffed paint but no significant structural damage.
MDOT after 100th Street bridge hit: ‘We had a good run’ https://t.co/7fIZCvfZfV
— WOODRADIO (@WOODRADIO) August 6, 2018
No injuries were reported.
When Michigan State Police arrived on the scene to investigate, they discovered that the height of the load was 14 feet 6 inches. The truck driver told police that he hadn’t measured the height of the load, according to WoodTV.
Michigan transportation officials require a permit for any load higher than 13 feet 6 inches. The truck driver was cited following the bridge strike.
This is the first hit that the 100th Street Bridge has taken in months since Michigan State Police increased patrols in the area in order to cut down on bridge strikes.
The 100th Street Bridge had been hit around a dozen times in the past year — so many times that back in April, locals started a half-joking campaign to bubble wrap the bridge to protect it from truck strikes.
Next month, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will attempt to give truck drivers a few more inches by shaving down the roadway underneath. MDOT also plans to replace the bridge with a taller structure in 2020.