Dump truck bumps up redo
The dump truck that slammed into the side of the West Branch bridge over Interstate 80 prompted the state to move a routine bridge overhaul up by four years.
The dump truck hit the bridge Nov. 12, leaving a 35-foot crack in the first concrete truss and an estimated $100,000 in damage. City Administrator Kyle Soukup last week told the West Branch City Council that the Iowa Department of Transportation on Nov. 19 informed him of its change of plans.
Soukup said the DOT scheduled the bridge for a complete removal and repair, known as a “redeck,” in 2012 and that has been moved up by as early as next summer.
Despite the damage, the bridge is considered safe, though Soukup said then that the DOT is “worried about the soundness of its structure.”
He said Monday that people should not be worried about driving over or under the bridge.
