HOLLAND, MI (WHTC) - It may take a year to repair the damage caused in a few seconds to a bridge on Holland's South Side.
Michigan Department of Transportation inspectors and engineers took a look this morning at the span carrying southbound US-31 traffic over Washington Avenue. They were interested at a section where a unlatched hydraulic lift on a truck trailer slammed into the bridge, damaging two beams to the extent that, although the span is still considered safe, the left lane will be blocked off for the forseeable future.
According to department officials, repairs could take from between four and 12 months to complete, due to a national steel shortage that has put this and other major bridge projects on a waiting list. An initial estimate of the cost is around 400 thousand dollars, and M-DOT plans to charge the unnamed truck driver's company and insurance carrier for the full cost of the project.
It took about 10 hours to dislodge the truck from under the bridge after the accident occurred. The driver was not injured, but was initially ticketed by Holland Public Safety officers.