Traffic on a major road in Frederick County, Maryland, will be diverted for as long as 60 days after a garbage truck crashed into its support beams and damaged them, officials say.
The vehicle hit the upper beams of the Maryland Route 355 (Urbana Pike) Bridge over the Monocacy River on Wednesday, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration said. A photo shows damage to the huge vehicle.
“The damaged sections of the bridge will need to be removed and new steel beams fabricated, installed and inspected before the bridge can reopen,” state engineer John Concannon said in a statement. “As the holidays approach, traffic will increase near the malls, so MDOT SHA is expediting repairs to the bridge and will open it as soon as possible.”
At the time of the crash, the garbage truck was being pulled by a tow truck, a Waste Management, Inc. spokeswoman told The Frederick News-Post.
“It wasn't our driver who caused the crash," the spokeswoman said.
Drivers will be directed from MD-80 (Fingerboard Road) to northbound I-270 from the south, and MD-85 (Buckeystown Pike) to southbound I-270 from the north.
According to State Highway Administration data, about 12,210 vehicles use the bridge every day. It was built in 1930 and upgraded in 1980.
