GORHAM/WINDHAM - The Maine Department of Transportation expects Babb's Bridge to remain closed to traffic for at least several months after an overweight dump truck fell through the bridge deck on Friday afternoon. MaineDOT bridge engineers will inspect the structure to determine the extent of the damage it sustained.

The bridge has a posted weight limit of three tons. According to Gorham Police, the dump truck was loaded with crushed gravel. This would have made the weight of the vehicle several times the posted weight limit. The truck entered the bridge from the Gorham side and fell through the first panel of the bridge deck into the river below.

Babb's Bridge is a covered bridge that carries Covered Bridge Road over the Presumpscot River between Gorham and Windham. Hurricane Road is the approach road on the Gorham side. The single-lane bridge is a state-owned structure that carries a local road. On an average day, approximately 360 vehicles cross the bridge.

The original Babb's Bridge was built in 1840. It was Maine's oldest covered bridge until it was burned by vandals in 1973. MaineDOT crews rebuilt an exact replica of the bridge using lumber milled in Gorham and historically authentic construction techniques. The replacement bridge opened in 1976. The bridge is wood and the abutments on either side of the river are stone.

Babb's Bridge is inspected at least every two years. The last inspection took place at the end of last month. The weight limit on the bridge was first posted at three tons in 1983 and has not changed since then.