TUNBRIDGE — A covered bridge in Tunbridge remains closed after a large, overweight box truck heavily damaged the structure on Thursday.
Police say Keymoy Vassell, 26, of Peru, N.Y., tried to drive under the Flint Covered Bridge on Bicknell Hill Road around 1 p.m. and was traveling too fast to realize that his vehicle was too big to fit through it. He also disregarded the weight limit of the bridge, Vermont State Police said in a news release.
Vassell left the scene and traveled north on Route 110, but bystanders called police, who eventually met up with him in Waterbury. Vassell told police he didn’t have cell service at the time and that was why he continued driving.
Police cited him for driving too fast for the conditions and for operating a vehicle that was 10,000 pounds over the bridge’s weight limit, the release states. Vassell was driving for Lakeside Container Corp. out of Plattsburgh, N.Y., Cpl. Joseph Pregent said. The truck was 35-feet long.
Tunbridge Town Clerk Jillian Conner said on Friday that the bridge remains closed at this time, which is resulting in lengthy detours for residents in the area.
The town’s road foreman is working to get the bridge back open temporarily, until long-term repairs can be made. Just when the bridge will reopen remains unclear.
