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On Oct. 1, an 18-wheeler hauling an excavator traveling east hit the bottom of an overpass at Old West Point Road that crosses over Highway 82.
No injuries were reported from the accident, but it damaged the bridge, and falling debris damaged another passing vehicle. Crews with the Mississippi Department of Transportation cleared the debris and inspected the bridge for safety following the accident.
MDOT District 1 Engineer Matt Dunn told The Dispatch later that afternoon that the bridge would be closed indefinitely for repairs, but he is “confident” the bridge will not fall, allowing though highway traffic to still pass beneath it.
So, how many times has the Old West Point Road bridge been hit before? Why does the bridge keep getting hit? And what normally prevents these kinds of accidents?
When has the bridge been hit before?
Over the past 20 years, Dunn said, the Old West Point Road bridge has been hit to the extent that it needed repairs from MDOT four times.
In 1994, the Old West Point Road took a cosmetic hit, which “dinged it enough” to expose the steel strands. In 2013, a beam of the bridge was hit, this time causing some structural damage to the bridge’s strands. MDOT had to remove that beam and replace it, Dunn said.
In 2019, the bridge took another minor cosmetic hit to its concrete, Dunn told The Dispatch Thursday. Finally, three of the bridge’s beams were damaged during the accident earlier this month, he said.
While this may seem like the bridge gets hit a lot, Dunn said, it is actually fairly common for bridges across the state to get hit by drivers breaking the law and hauling things that are too high. There may also be other, smaller accidents at the Old West Point Road bridge over the years that have not required significant repairs, he said.
“If you look around at bridges all over the state, and not just this state but everywhere, you’ll see where bridges are dinged all the time,” Dunn said. “You’ll see little chunks of concrete missing or scuffs.”
Why does the bridge keep getting hit?
Still, the bridge is a very standard height for Mississippi, Dunn said, at about 16.14 feet tall. Since the bridge is taller than 13.5 feet, the state does not require it to display a clearance sign.
Other nearby bridges that cross over Highway 82 are within an inch or two of the Old West Point Road bridge’s height, Dunn said.
Typically, the excavator on the back of the truck that hit the bridge earlier this month should have safely passed under it, Dunn said. But because the excavator’s boom was not lowered as far as it needed to be, it caught the bottom of the bridge, he said.
As far as repeat issues go, the only explanation Dunn could give for the bridge’s accident history is its location, since it is the first overpass a driver coming from Brooksville and the Macon area would have to go under after getting off of Highway 45 to head east toward Columbus.
“I think what’s happening, and the reason that bridge seems to get hit more, is because it’s the first bridge that a lot of people that are carrying goods on the back – like an excavator or equipment on the back – that’s the first bridge they come to,” Dunn said. “And they don’t realize they’re over height until they hit it.”
What normally prevents these accidents?
Normally, Dunn said, if a driver is hauling a large piece of equipment like an excavator, they will use a lowboy trailer. This kind of trailer’s bed is designed to be much lower than an average trailer, giving the driver a little bit more room above the equipment they are hauling.
Still, any load that is above 13.5 feet high has to get an over-dimensional load permit from MDOT, Dunn said. When the permit is issued, MDOT will also provide the driver with a plan of which roads to take to avoid overpasses.
If a driver is hauling an overheight load without a permit, Dunn said, it is against the law. State law says full liability for the damage to any structure hit by a vehicle with a height taller than 12.5 feet falls entirely on the motor carrier or operator of the vehicle.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
