SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — A truck that ruined a bridge over an Atlanta-area interstate was carrying a load over the legal weight and height limits, an inspection found.
A truck carrying an excavator struck the Mount Vernon Highway bridge over Interstate 285 on Sept. 27, causing westbound lanes of vital freeway to be closed for about 18 hours. An inspection found five of the six beams supporting the bridge were damaged beyond repair.
The Georgia Department of Transportation had already started rebuilding the bridge, which opened in 1962, and had planned to demolish the old bridge. Now the crossing in Sandy Springs will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians until the replacement is completed next year.
State troopers issued traffic citations to the driver.
WXIA-TV reports the truck’s load was 17 feet, 3 inches high, when vehicles on I-285 are supposed to be limited to a height of 13 feet, 6 inches.
The same inspection report from the Georgia Department of Public Safety found the truck weighed more than 120,000 pounds, above the legal weight limit of 80,000 pounds.
The state could fine the trucking company 5 cents for each pound over the limit, or about $2,000 in this case. Local officials could also fine the trucking company for being above the height limit.
B2 Contracting, which operated the truck, didn’t reply to a request for comment from the TV station.
Federal transportation records show no prior crashes or violations from the company.
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The vehicle should have had been permitted for over height and weight. If was, the the state created it own problem. If the company lied and did not permit, then of course hang the company
I am not an oversize hauler,but if I was,I d have hired an escort to scout the area a mile or so ahead of me to avoid a situation like this,plus if I was hauling a 17′ high load,I must ve been some kind of idiot to think that all overpasses are 17′ high,specially in a city like Atlanta.
DUH!!!
The guy deserves everything and more of what he got,he made life harder for a lot of us,idiot…if he is reading this,yes,you are an idiot with the i.q. of a fish,NO! a fish has a higher I.Q. than you.
It seems to me that if house foundations can collapse because the land underneath shifted, the same thing can happen with a bridge. Is anyone checking that some way?
When you’re driving down the road and the road noise sounds different for a 100 feet or so, is that because the underlying ground is different?
$2000.00 for an overweight fee? That’s a slap on the wrist for most trucking companies.