The Kansas Department of Transportation won’t be able to open a damaged rural bridge back until next year after an excavator boom penetrated the deck at high speeds.
The South Morrill Road bridge over US 75 near Melvern Lake was struck November 19 by a Caterpillar 323 hydraulic excavator being hauled on a trailer, according to the Osage County Sheriff’s Office.
The excavator was facing forward with the boom raised, and the crook of the boom and arm crashed through the structure as it passed beneath. The excavator struck the west face of the bridge and was lodged into the structure, severing nearly one-third of the superstructure.
The truck driver, a 46-year-old Jason Simbro, was taken to Stormont-Vail Health in Topeka with suspected minor injuries, according to a report from KVOE.
Kate Craft, KDOT District One Public Information Officer, told Equipment World the resulting holes from the collision measure approximately 10 feet by 11 feet in the floor of the bridge, 3 feet by 5 feet in the deck surface and 4 to 6 feet wide on the west box face.
KDOT has initiated a repair design process, with a goal of beginning construction in spring and opening the bridge to traffic in mid- to late 2026. Morrill Road will remain closed at the bridge until repairs are completed.
Craft says initial KDOT estimates put the repair costs between $750,000 and $1 million.
The South Morrill Road bridge is a three-cell reinforced concrete girder bridge built in 1974.
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