Pennsylvania bridge struck by oversized load will be closed for months for $1-2 million repairs

Officials in Pennsylvania say that a bridge that was struck last week by an oversized load will remain closed for an extended period of time.

The bridge strike occurred on June 12 on the bridge carrying Route 6 over Sugar Creek in Troy Township, Pennsylvania.

A truck hauling an empty steel tank struck the Route 6 bridge, causing damage to the structure. Images captured at the scene show that the truck’s oversized load came partially off the trailer and became lodged in the bridge structure.

No injuries were reported.

Transportation officials were able to remove the truck and the steel tank, but the cost of the damage to the bridge is estimated between $1 million and $2 million.

“This bridge carries around 4,000 vehicles a day, and a healthy percentage of those vehicles are truck traffic. And it’s not lost on me that Route 6 in northern Pennsylvania is an interstate equivalent as far as I’m concerned, and the importance of this road speaks for itself,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll told PA Homepage.

Route 6 remains closed in both directions between Route 4017 (Leona Road) and Route 3034 (Mud Creek Road).

According to the Bradford County Department of Public Safety, officials have targeted late August 2024 for a reopening date.

Until then, the detour route has drivers using Leona Road, Route 4014 (Springfield Road), and Route 14.