VIDEO: Agency shuts Arkansas bridge for inspection; footage shows it sagging as overweight bus crosses

4:20 P.M. UPDATE:

The state Department of Transportation has closed a bridge to inspect it after video surfaced of the structure sagging under a crossing bus.

The Arkansas 187 bridge, located in Beaver just north of Eureka Springs, will be shut until a review by engineers is complete, according to a statement from the agency.

The department decided to "take a closer look at the bridge after receiving results of a special bridge inspection," the news release states.

Arkansas Department of Transportation spokesman Danny Straessle said in an interview Tuesday that the bridge was not damaged Saturday when two tour buses weighing twice the structure's weight limit drove across. The bus shown in the video is one of two that crossed the one-lane bridge, which is restricted to 10 tons.

An email alert from the agency states the span is being "reviewed for possible damage to structural members," adding that motorists using Arkansas 187 will need to use U.S. 62.

EARLIER:

A Northwest Arkansas bridge was not damaged Saturday when two tour buses weighing twice the structure's weight limit drove across, transportation officials said.

A video of the Arkansas 187 bridge, located in Beaver just north of Eureka Springs, shows the structure sagging under the weight of a 20-ton bus as it crosses the White River.

The bus shown in the video is one of two that crossed the one-lane bridge, which is restricted to 10 tons, Arkansas Department of Transportation spokesman Danny Straessle said in an interview Tuesday.

"We don’t know if this is the first time it's happened, and that’s the scary thing," he said. "We suspect it’s probably not. Those buses didn’t waste any time going across. But this is the first time it’s been called to our attention."

Bridge maintenance crews had been making routine repairs — such as replacing wooden planks and tightening cables — on the structure since Oct. 1, Staessle said. They re-evaluated the bridge Monday and did not find any problems caused by the overweight loads. The heavy bridge maintenance team confirmed the initial finding in its own assessment later that day, according to posts on the transportation department's Twitter account.

Beyond regular bridge maintenance, Staessle said there is not much more the agency can do to ensure the stability of the bridge and the safety of motorists who cross it.

"It’s incumbent on motor vehicle drivers to observe those [weight] signs," he said. "If they don’t and something happens, they could lose their license and be responsible for any damage, not to mention the risk to all the passengers."

However, Arkansas Highway Police, a division within the Department of Transportation, will be increasing its observation of the bridge, the spokesman said.

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