Covered Bridge Beam Hit Again, DOT Says Help is on the Way!

A collision with the beam outside of the Concord Road Covered Bridge caused traffic disruptions during the end of Tuesday morning’s rush hour.  Witnesses say a U-Haul van hit the beam leaving it leaning, then left the scene.  A tag number was turned over to police.  DOT crews quickly arrived and had the beam upright in a matter of minutes.

This is the 18th time one of the bridge’s beams have been hit since the historic bridge was renovated in late 2017.  The bridge itself has not been damaged.  Despite multiple warning signs, including a flashing light that activates when a vehicle over 7-feet tall drives down Concord Road, this has been an on-going issue.  Even though repair costs for DOT are minimal, traffic disruptions frustrate neighbors.

Cobb DOT Director Erica Parish says the Board of Commissioners will vote later this month on the installation of two mast-arm devices on each side of the bridge.  These structures will hang over the travel lanes with chains suspending some PVC pipe at the seven-foot level.  Vehicles over seven-feet tall will hit the pipes, hopefully encouraging them to turn around.  Crews will install the mast arm north of the bridge prior to the turn-around, and on the south side prior to the Covered Bridge Road turnoff.

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Emergency vehicles that need to access the area can veer into the oncoming lane to avoid the dangling pipes.  “We hope this will be the solution to what has been a frustrating situation for neighbors and our crews,” said Parish.

If the Board okays the "over-height vehicle notification devices," they could be in place by the end of May.

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