Carbon County officials say repeated collisions with Jim Thorpe covered bridge risk permanent closure; cameras and a soft close planned

Carbon County commissioners warned at their April 10 meeting in Jim Thorpe that repeated collisions with a locally owned covered bridge have damaged the structure and could force a permanent closure if the incidents continue.

Commissioner Arner said county staff reviewed surveillance and found four separate vehicles struck the bridge within a 36-hour period. He said the county will work with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to place cameras and implement a "soft close" — a local restriction intended to limit through traffic — during a nearby PennDOT replacement project.

The discussion matters because damage has required repeated repairs and carries public-safety and fiscal consequences. "Please don't use our bridge if you exceed the weight limit or the height limit because it is costing the county and the taxpayers," Commissioner Arner said. He estimated repairs and recurring maintenance could total significant sums and said one forthcoming repair cycle could be "probably gonna be $100,000." The county has already spent several hundred dollars to thousands of dollars on repeated fixes, he said.

Arner described the collisions in detail. He told the commissioners the county reviewed camera footage and that in one incident a ladder on a vehicle was lifted so high that "it probably goes 8 feet in the air, flies off the side of the truck and the truck and the van kept right on going." He said the county has contacted owners of vehicles identified on camera and is sending letters to others. "I called them all," he said of the drivers the county could identify.

Commissioner Sofranco said the county's intent is to preserve the bridge, not to close it. He described the "soft close" as a measure to keep heavy or over-height traffic off the covered bridge while PennDOT work is detoured through the area. Arner said PennDOT plans replacement work on a nearby Hunter Creek bridge in late summer 2026 and that the detour associated with that project will likely occur in 2027; the PennDOT detour will not route traffic over the covered bridge but will run past it. County staff said PennDOT will place cameras at each end of the covered bridge during the detour.

County officials said enforcement could include citations and, when possible, referral to the state police. Arner noted a single ticket can be substantial, citing a potential fine of about $3,400 if the incident is prosecuted as damage to public property or leaving the scene. He also said camera time stamps must be accurate for a citation to hold in court; staff recalibrated cameras after discovering the time was off.

Several commissioners emphasized the public-safety risk if the bridge's overhead bar or its chains fail entirely. Arner said the bar weighs several hundred pounds and that multiple broken chains would increase the risk to motorists and pedestrians. He asked residents and commercial drivers — including companies whose vans carry ladders or equipment — to avoid the bridge if their vehicle height or load exceeds posted limits.

The commissioners said they will continue to work with PennDOT, the state police and local maintenance crews, and that the county has begun sending letters to vehicle owners identified on camera. They also said the county is considering further enforcement steps if damage continues. Contact information and next steps will be posted on the county web page and announced at future meetings.

Background: The comments were made during the regular Carbon County Board of Commissioners meeting on April 10, 2025. Commissioners raised the issue in response to multiple recent collisions that staff said have required repeated repairs to the structure and put users at risk.