A truck fell through the historic covered bridge, leaving a huge hole.
Hundreds of vehicles daily travel on the bridge, which is likely to be closed for months.
Officials announced the closure of a historic covered bridge in Maine following an "overweight dump truck" falling through and creating a significant hole.
The Maine Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on Facebook that an incident occurred on Babb's Bridge between Gorham and Windham on Friday afternoon. According to a press release, the bridge is expected to remain closed for several months.
One Facebook user commented on the police department's post, stating that the driver should be held responsible for repairing the bridge, which was not intended for large commercial vehicles.
The bridge, built in 1840 and the oldest in Maine, has a posted weight limit of three tons. However, police said that the dump truck loaded with crushed gravel that caused the damage was likely "several times the posted weight limit."
The Presumpscot River is spanned by a single-lane, state-owned bridge, which is owned by MaineDOT. Approximately 360 vehicles cross the bridge daily.
The bridge has experienced various difficulties, including being burned by vandals in 1973, having an exact replica built in 1976, being struck by vandals again in 2014, and being damaged by a snow plow in 2015.
State officials have inspected the bridge at least every two years, with the last inspection occurring at the end of last month, according to MaineDOT. The three-ton weight limit has been posted on the bridge since 1983 and has not been altered since then.
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