Almost four months after a bridge in Westphalia collapsed following a semi-trailer attempting to cross it, the Osage County Commission is still waiting to hear whether it will get a new bridge.
The Pentecostal Bridge, which takes County Road 611 across the Maries River in Westphalia, collapsed in August after a semi-trailer, owned by Iowa-based Eldon C. Stutsman, attempted to cross it.
Osage County is currently waiting to hear whether the trucking company will pay for the new bridge, Osage County Second District Commissioner Larry Kliethermes said.
"The trucking company has admitted that the driver was at fault and that they do have insurance to cover it," he said. "(But) they have never said, 'Yes, we'll pay for it.'"
An engineering company the county hired estimated it would cost a little more than $1.5 million to replace the bridge, Kliethermes said.
The county is also waiting for direction on removing the rest of the collapsed bridge, which was "never taken out of the river," Kliethermes said.
"We're waiting to see if they want to hire a company to do that themselves or if we should do it and have the bill sent to them," he said. "We're just waiting to see how to proceed."
Kliethermes said he is not sure when the county will learn if the trucking company will replace the Pentecostal Bridge.
According to Missouri Highway Patrol officials, the driver of the semi "failed to negotiate a curve" and "hit the side of the bridge guard rail."
The 127-year-old bridge had a 5-ton weight limit. When the semi attempted to cross the bridge, it was carrying at least 20 tons in cargo, not including the weight of the truck and trailer, the Missouri Highway Patrol Troop F reported in August.
The driver of the semi did not sustain injuries.
Kliethermes spoke with the driver shortly after the wreck and said the driver was going to the Westphalia mill. The mill is located behind Dollar General, on U.S. 63, but the driver's GPS took him down County Road 611, Kliethermes said in August.
Since the bridge collapse, residents on County Road 611 have been getting to town by driving southeast on the road until it meets U.S. 63.
Built in 1893, the Pentecostal Bridge was closed for several months in early 2020 for repairs. The bridge was deemed safe after it passed an inspection a few days before it collapsed.