Drivers with vehicles over the height limit for the covered bridge in Lower Towamensing Township continue to ignore the limit and use the bridge, costing Carbon County money repeatedly to fix the damage that they cause.

Security cameras had been placed at the bridge last month in an attempt to deter drivers of construction vans and other larger vehicles that exceed the 8-foot, 6-inch height limit, from using the bridge.

However, commissioners last week said in just 36 hours of footage, four larger vehicles struck and damaged the headache bar leading up to the bridge.

A video of one of those vehicles was recently posted on Facebook by a motorist following the driver as he hit the headache bar, backed up and hit it again before going through the bridge.

Commissioner Rocky Ahner, who has been vocal about this reoccurring problem, said that of the four vehicles the county observed in that period, only one reported it. The other three, which include a few Carbon County businesses, have been contacted but as of the meeting, had not returned Ahner’s call.

“I just want to make the people of Carbon County aware,” he said, noting that of the four vehicles the footage showed, one hit the bar and knocked its ladder off and just kept going, another hit the headache bar more than one time and another appeared that it was a daily occurrence, not bothering to slow down. “... They are local businesses, they should know that bridge, and what the height is because I tell you what, when they hit it ... they could injure somebody else that’s driving past them. ... That bar probably weights 4- to 500 pounds. If that thing would let loose, the perpetrator that goes through, this could the be the last destination for a person that’s driving through with a family. We don’t know when it’s going to break. That bar has six chains and we already had it where four of them were broken and the fifth one was not in very good shape. They’re putting everybody that drives through there in jeopardy.

“There are thousands of people that go over this bridge, that go to work or to the restaurants there, and we have a couple of people that have to do this,” he said. “... I don’t get it. They mustn’t have respect for their vehicles.”

Ahner said that each time the headache bar is hit, it could cost hundreds or thousands to fix because specialized bolts and chains are needed. Each bolt costs approximately $500. And if the vehicle then continues and damages the bridge itself, it could cost thousands more to fix it.

Over the last several months, the county has been looking at the bridge and has noted deterioration.

“There are things that are seriously wrong with this bridge that has to be fixed,” Ahner said, noting that it could take upwards of $100,000 for the needed work, not associated with any damage done by vehicles. “Then every copy of weeks we got to spend hundreds of dollars, sometimes thousands to fix this. It’s a shame.

“... These people, I’m sure, if they lived somewhere and somebody goes by their house and rips up their grass snow plowing, they are the first to complain, but they go through this,” he said.

A project in that area by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in 2026 will put a detour past the covered bridge, Ahner said, and noted that the state and county are considering a soft closing of the bridge during that project if things don’t get better. A soft closing is placing barriers leading up to the bridge with signs restricting the traffic to local traffic only.

If that doesn’t stop it, Ahner said, a soft close could turn into a permanent closure.

“I’m putting a request out there,” he said. “Please don’t use the bridge if you exceed the weight limit or height limit because it is costing the county and the taxpayers.”

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein added to Ahner’s thoughts noting that the evidence of people not knowing the height of their vehicles is everywhere.

“You ever notice the drive-thru fast food and banks all have damages?” he said. “It all doesn’t happen just on the covered bridge. You can see the scrape marks when you go through these places where people have no clue when they pull in.”

Nothstein added that he would like to see businesses put height stickers on dashboards in the vehicles so drivers are aware of a vehicle’s height, plus adding additional height based on if they are putting ladders on top of the vehicle.

“These people don’t even realize how high their vehicles are,” he said, noting that in the firetrucks he drives as a volunteer firefighter, there is a sticker that clearly states the height to help with clearance going under bridges.

“It should be posted on the dash,” Nothstein said, adding that this requirement should especially take place on rental vehicles because drivers would not know the height since they don’t own the vehicle. “I think that is something that should seriously be considered, maybe by our legislators and the businesses to post it so people know.”

The four vehicles that were caught on camera this time will not be charged as the camera time was not correct, but the board noted that in the future, anyone caught damaging the headache bars or the covered bridge, now that the cameras have been recalibrated, will face charges for the damage.