Westmoreland County crews promptly repaired cosmetic damage caused this week when a flatbed trailer struck the entrance of the Bells Mills Bridge in South Huntingdon.

Still, concerns remain about the ongoing problem of oversized vehicles squeezing through and damaging the historic wooden covered bridge, the last such span in the county.

Nearby resident George Reeger shared with county officials and state police video images of Monday morning’s hit-and-run with the bridge, captured by a Ring camera at an adjacent home he owns.

The series of video clips shows a pickup pulling the long trailer and attempting to maneuver it around a sharp bend in the approaching Bells Mills Road and onto the bridge. Eventually, the trailer disappears from view inside the bridge, but not before hitting into portions of the structure.

County engineer Vaughn Neill said the collision damaged a portal board and a wooden railing at the South Huntingdon entrance to the bridge. Originally built in 1850 and reconstructed by the county in 1988, the bridge crosses Sewickley Creek, at the border with Sewickley Township.

“The portal is the entrance to the bridge and has framing around it like a doorway,” Neill said. “The vertical board on the left side was struck by the trailer and rotated out at the bottom a few inches.”

Several boards of the railing also were broken, he said.

The bridge temporarily was closed to traffic, to allow for inspection and repairs, before reopening before noon on Tuesday, Neill said.

The bridge was closed in 2022 for a longer period, following similar but more extensive damage.

Vehicles that exceed the bridge’s posted clearance height of 6 feet, 6 inches appear to be more of a problem, according to Reeger. He estimated as many as five such trucks arrive at the bridge on many days.

“Their GPS sends them down here, and then there’s nowhere to turn around,” Reeger suggested.

In addition to a horizontal bar placed above the entrance to the bridge, he said, several signs warning of the height limit are posted earlier along the road to alert approaching motorists.

“It’s plainly marked, but you can’t see it if you’re watching your GPS,” Reeger said. “I hope some people start taking notice.

“I don’t want the bridge to be destroyed. It’s a nice view.”

Township Manager Michael Gray said over-height trucks also are a cause for concern on the Sewickley side of the bridge, where a related alert likewise is in place.

“We’ve been having a problem with a lot of trucks that are not following the low clearance sign,” he said. “Every month we have multiple issues with trucks being stuck on the bridge.”

He said the township is hoping to tap state funds to install an additional height limit warning sign that would attract attention with a flashing light.

“We want to get the trucks turned around before they have a chance to hit the bridge,” Gray said. “A lot of our residents use that bridge as a shortcut. It is highly traveled.”

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