It was doing okay since reopening in early February, about six months after a truck struck its underside, but today, the bridge carrying Old Ivy Road over the Route 29/250 Bypass was hit again. VDOT reports that the culprit was a truck hauling construction equipment south toward Lynchburg. The impact damaged several of the beams supporting the bridge deck.

During the last smash, the westbound lane of Old Ivy Road (also known as Route 601) remained closed throughout the repair period, but after a preliminary engineering inspection this afternoon, VDOT has ordered only the westbound shoulder of Old Ivy closed overnight.

“Tomorrow right after rush hour, around mid-morning, our engineers will be out there with a piece of equipment that allows them to get up under the bridge to determine the level of damage,” says VDOT spokesperson Lou Hatter, noting that Tuesday’s inspection will necessitate closure of the right-hand lane of 250/29 south.

If history is any lesson, fixing the bridge may not fix the problem. In September 2003, five months after the Locust Avenue bridge reopened, it was struck again, leaving neighbors wondering why damaged bridges (or the roads they cross) aren’t rebuilt in such a way as to reduce the likelihood of another costly accident.

“Insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different outcome,” said one Locust Grove resident at the time.