Debris from a bridge that collapsed last August will likely be removed from the Maries River by later this summer, Osage County officials said.
Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin said work could take place between June and September.
The Pentecostal Bridge, which takes County Road 611 across the Maries River in Westphalia, collapsed after a semi-trailer, owned by Iowa-based Eldon C. Stutsman, attempted to cross it.
"We met with a lawyer for the company, and they made a proposal, and we're looking that over," Griffin said.
He said the trucking company has admitted the driver was at fault.
"They're not fighting about that," Griffin said. "We just haven't gotten anything from them on paying for a new bridge."
An engineering company the county hired estimated it would cost a little more than $1.5 million to replace the bridge, Griffin said.
According to Missouri Highway Patrol reports, 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 of cargo, not including the weight of the truck and trailer.
The driver was not injured.
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.
"With the debris still in the river, we're marking the area so boaters don't get hurt," Griffin said. "I'm telling people there will be a bridge back, but we're not sure when it will be back."