Experts say Paoli's historic iron bridge can be restored

“I look for it to be a long, drawn-out process,” said Orange County Commissioner Donnie Crockett. The bridge is in the district he represents.

The structure, which dates back to 1880, fell partially into Lick Creek just after noon on Dec. 25 when Mary Lambright of Fredericksburg disregarded a sign posting the bridge’s weight limit and one prohibiting semi-tractors and trailers from using it. The top of the trailer immediately began ripping as it made contact with the bridge’s iron top. The bridge then collapsed.

The bridge is on South Gospel Street, just south of the Paoli square. Although it’s on a city street, the county owns the bridge. That means it’s up to the county’s three commissioners to determine the fate of the structure, specifically whether its historic features are preserved or a more modern bridge is built.

Townspeople have demonstrated a groundswell of support for restoring the bridge. Countless people are advocating for such on social media posts. Crockett estimated that about 10 people expressed support for bridge restoration when commissioners met for the first time after the accident.

“That seems to be the consensus of the public right now,” Crockett said.

“We’ve had some engineers look at it,” Crockett said.

Cost will be a deciding factor, and Crockett said, “They (engineers) are trying to get some figures together.”

Decisions will hinge largely on what the trucking firm’s insurance company, Progressive, will pay.

“I’ve talked to the insurance company and they’ve told us what documents they needed. The engineers are working those up for us,” Crockett said.

“We’re just kind of in a holding pattern right now,” Crockett said.