Just how much damage is there to the southbound Highway 41 bridge at Pigeon Creek and how long will drivers have to deal with the traffic headaches?
The Indiana Department of Transportation made it official Tuesday. A report from the agency says that when a semi hauling an oversized load crashed into the bridge last month, it caused extensive damage to the bridge on one of Evansville’s busiest roads.
How much damage? The report says nearly all of the vertical structure and connections suffered what they term “major damage”, including many complete fractures, partial fractures and significant deformation of the steel. In other words, you won’t be driving on that bridge anytime soon.
Now, it could take more than a year to repair the eighty year old bridge. In the meantime, INDOT has reinstalled the bypass using the Diamond Avenue exit from southbound U.S. 41.