A box truck attempting to cross Jackson Covered Bridge has caused another road closure in northern Parke County.
Nine of 10 overhead beams were damaged Thursday by a truck from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Parke County Commissioner Jim Meece reported.
The bridge is estimated to be closed for one week as new beams are cut and installed, he said.
Meece also indicated that the driver “didn’t notice” and that beams were “falling around his truck.”
Asked if overnight storms had caused additional damage to the Civil War-era bridge, Parke County Sheriff Justin Cole said inclement weather was not to blame.
“The height (of the box truck) was the problem,” he said. “That’s what usually gets them — about every couple weeks they’re repairing it because semis are driving through.”
The closure of the bridge, which carries County Road 25W over Sugar Creek in northeast Parke County, complicates routes for those traveling north from the Rockville area.
“The bad thing is that it’s basically the main way,” Cole said.
The current closure of U.S. 41, two miles north of State Road 47, has resulted in increased levels of traffic on county roads in the area.
While State Road 47 remains open from U.S. 41 to Crawfordsville, those traveling north to Fountain County may consider using Narrows Road, Cole said.
Narrows Road starts at State Road 47 less than one mile east of the entrance to Turkey Run State Park. From there, travelers can reach State Road 234 north of the U.S. 41 closure.
