FULTON, Mo. -- The right lane on eastbound U.S. 54 was closed for about six hours Thursday after a piece of National Guard equipment struck the bottom of the Route F overpass bridge.
A group of National Guard soldiers were traveling on the highway around 8:45 a.m. with two construction vehicles when one, a scraper used to move dirt, hit a bridge beam. The driver's cab on top of the scraper was knocked off, landing in the median. It was later removed off site. Guard Capt. Shawn Edwards said the scraper was three inches too tall for the bridge, which had a clearance of 15 feet, 6 inches.
A state bridge inspector checked the overpass and declared it safe for traffic, MoDOT Safety and Health Manager Chris Engelbrecht said. The Guard scraper dented an outer bridge beam, but there was no other damage to the bridge and it is still structurally sound, Engelbrecht said.
Cones were placed along the Route F southbound shoulder, directly above the damaged beam, to prevent drivers from traveling on that section of the bridge. Engelbrecht said the damaged beam likely won't be replaced, but will be straightened.
Soldiers were heading to a National Guard armory in Festus from the Turkey Creek Golf Course in Jefferson City.
They have been assisting the construction of a handicap accessible golf course on the site. Their route was supposed to take them on Missouri 94, but they misread directions and landed on U.S. 54, Engelbrecht said.
Routes are predetermined, he added, so incidents like Thursday's don't happen.
The Guardsmen fabricated a height stick to prevent any further accidents on their way to Festus.