This photo was sent to me by notevencls@aol.com, who writes:
This is one of the overpasses at Lebanon on I-44. The situation is, from what
we've pieced together, as follows:
An oversized load traveling from Oklahoma to a refinery in Illinois was to
access I-44 from this interchange per
MoDOT's permit. On Sunday evening, the driver entered I-44 one exit too early.
The truck was traveling
approximately 35 mph when it struck the bottom chord of the bridge. The impact
threw the driver forward into
the steering wheel and his foot floored the accelerator. The tractor, with 500
HP behind it proceeded to lurch
through the bridge, deflecting the steel beams around 7 feet. As it stands now,
the truck has been cut free
and interstate traffic is being carried over the ramps around the bridge. The
totaled bridge will hopefully be
taken out by Sunday with the I-44 lanes then reopened. It will take almost a
year before a new bridge is in
place. Estimated damages are right now at $3 million last I heard.