Dunbar damage minimal following truck mishaps

Two oversized trucks have recently passed through Dunbar Bridge, but all of the damage to the bridge was apparently done in the first incident, in which no truck or driver was located.

Haven't we crossed this bridge before?

A pair of recent incidents involving tall trucks and the Dunbar Bridge have left the 132-year-old structure with cosmetic damage, but not nearly as much as when a semi passed through it last August.

Shortly after noon Tuesday, 911 Dispatch received a call that a large truck had gone through the covered bridge, damaging both ends.

Greencastle Police located the box truck and pulled the driver over on North Jackson Street. He was detained while the Putnam County Sheriff's Department and Putnam County Highway Department investigated the reported incident.

When a County Highway official examined the bridge, he found no new damage, but the same as an incident that occurred one to two weeks ago. At that time, another large truck passed through the bridge, damaging the north and south ends.

The offending vehicle was not located.

Highway Co-Supervisor Clint Maddox estimated the damage would take less than $500 to repair, as it will require just some new boards and a bit of red paint.

The low amount is a far cry from the repairs of last summer, which were in excess of $5,000.

Fortunately for Putnam County taxpayers, none of the incidents appears to have done structural damage to the historic bridge.