For 11th time since $800K fix, someone almost hit Cobb covered bridge

During this holiday time of the year, what are you thankful for?

Maybe you should be thanking the Cobb County Department of Transportation’s bridge team.

For the 11th time since taxpayers spent $800,000 on bridge renovations, the historic Concord Road Covered Bridge has nearly been hit.

READ | Hit after hit, is historic Concord Road Covered Bridge worth keeping?

It was a hit-and-run about 2:30 p.m. on Monday. The road wasn’t closed very long, if at all, said Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt.

It was a quick fix to again get the seven-foot-high metal beams protecting the bridge upright. The beams, which look like giant yellow staples, had to be replaced recently because they had been repeatedly rammed by motor vehicles.

There was no description of the vehicle in Monday’s close call, but drivers who don’t drive away are charged between $400 and $600 in damage fees to put the bar back up.

The last incident was earlier this month and the driver also fled.

The publicly funded overhaul of the bridge was completed in late 2017 because the 145-year-old structure was leaning. At that time, crews replaced the bridge’s decaying siding and shingles, added structural supports and repainted the structure.

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The bridge has a seven-foot clearance and the metal bar that protects it gets hit multiple times per year, either by U-Haul trucks or construction equipment. Cobb County averages about a call a month of someone almost hitting the bridge.

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