Associated Press reports,VermontA historic covered bridge is under threat from modern technology.
Although signs such as flashing lights are in place to prevent vehicles that are too long or too heavy from passing, van drivers relying on GPS navigation continue to crash into the 140-year-old Miller Run promenade at Linden Bridge, and criminals cannot . Avoid a $5,000 fine from the city and state.
Despite this, the covered bridge is still frequently affected. Linden City Manager Justin Smith said GPS is the most common excuse drivers make for crashing, but the real problem is a lack of common sense.
The covered bridge, built in 1878 and rebuilt in 1995, is located on a shortcut for drivers avoiding downtown Lyndonville.Lyndon has fivemonumentsCovered bridges, two of which are still in use; The area calls itself the “Covered Bridge Capital” of Vermont’s tourist destination, the Northeast Kingdom.
Police Chief Jack Harris estimates that the Miller River Covered Bridge has been attacked more than 20 times, even twice in one day; These drivers were using the GPS of normal cars instead of commercial vehicles. He said the covered bridge was usually only superficially damaged, but on two occasions it had to be closed for months for repairs.
According to Bill Caswell, president of the National Covered Bridge Preservation Association, Linden is not the only victim. Planks at the entrances to several covered bridges in Vermont and other states are broken and bridge roof supports are broken or missing, he told The Associated Press in an email.
Caswell said that in November, a coupling truck seriously damaged a covered bridge in Princeton, Illinois, and a year earlierohioA covered bridge in Georgia was similarly damaged; And after a historic covered bridge in Cobb County, Georgia was damaged several times, metal railings were installed on both sides, and warning signs and flashing lights were installed on the bridge. But despite these warnings, the railings have been damaged; At least the bridge is safe now.
A Lyndonville truck rental company will alert drivers about covered bridges in the area, and the city is considering installing a steel beam in front of the bridge to stop trucks that are too long.
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