Driver Ticketed After Slamming Into Bridge on US-131

If it feels like US-131 can’t catch a break lately, you’re not wrong.

A stretch of the highway from 100th Street to 142nd Avenue was closed for nearly a week after a semi-truck driver slammed into the 146th Avenue bridge in Allegan County earlier this month.

Now, the driver behind the mess is facing a citation.

According to the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office, the semi driver was ticketed for hauling an oversized load. Lt. Brandon Berens said the equipment on the truck “was not properly prepared for transport,” which made it taller than it should have been and caused the impact that shut down a major part of the freeway. So while taking shortcuts at your job may seem like an okay idea, it certainly doesn’t help

The crash happened Monday, November 3rd and it took until Saturday evening (November 8) before the highway fully reopened.

Thankfully, no one was hurt. But for thousands of drivers stuck detouring through small towns and side roads all week, it was yet another frustrating reminder of how one small mistake can cause a big headache for everyone else.

And if this story sounds familiar, that’s because it is. The same bridge was struck by another semi-truck back in August, which also led to a days-long closure of southbound US-131. That bridge has technically been under repair ever since, according to MDOT’s MiDrive map.

For now, the 146th Avenue bridge remains closed while crews assess the damage (again.), so here’s hoping people let it get fixed this time before slamming into it again.