A bridge too low: Trucks keep ramming historic Georgia link

The Cartecay river near the city of Ellijay, Ga., flows under a covered bridge nestled in the North Georgia mountains just a few hours drive from Chattanooga.
The Cartecay river near the city of Ellijay, Ga., flows under a covered bridge nestled in the North Georgia mountains just a few hours drive from Chattanooga.

SMYRNA, Ga. (AP) - A historic covered bridge in Georgia that was rebuilt after being burned down during the Civil War now faces a different foe: GPS systems.

WABE-FM reports that five vehicles since December have rammed into the top of the 7-foot (2.1-meter) high warning beam just before the entrance to the Concord Covered Bridge.

Cobb County spokesman Ross Cavitt says officials attribute a spike in accidents to navigation apps that lead oversized vehicles to the bridge. He says the county's working with such companies to see if they can provide in-app warnings.

The county has installed an electronic warning sign that warns trucks and cars with trailers if they're too tall and need to take a detour.

Cobb County spent $800,000 to repair the National Register of Historic Places structure last year.

Upcoming Events