Long Grove bridge hit again, at least 70th time since 2020

Long Grove’s covered bridge received another visit from an a-bit-too-tall box truck Monday.

Village Manager Chris Sparkman said the truck collided with the town’s trademark bridge about noon Monday. It’s at least the 70th time the bridge has been hit since reopening to traffic in August 2020 after a two-year reconstruction.

A video showing a U-Haul truck wedged inside the covered bridge is posted on the Chatterbox of Long Grove Facebook page, which states it’s the 76th such collision.

Sparkman said the 11-foot-tall vehicle managed to wedge itself in a little farther than many of its predecessors, because the driver kept driving after initial contact. It took more than an hour to remove the vehicle, he added.

The bridge suffered no apparent damage, but Sparkman said engineers will be conducting a structural assessment.

“The purpose of the cover is to protect the bridge itself from heavy trucks going over it,” Sparkman noted.

The driver, who has not been identified, was not injured but did receive a citation, officials said.