HOLIDAY ISLAND (KFSM) — State highway officials are inspecting the historic Beaver Bridge on Arkansas 187 after a large bus drove across it Saturday (Oct. 13), causing the bridge to sag under its weight.
A viewer supplied 5NEWS with the video, which shows the bus cross the one-lane bridge while other cars honk warnings to the driver.
The bus made it across the bridge, but the suspension dipped where the bus drove.
Crews were already out to inspect the bridge this week for regular maintenance, but they'll check to ensure the bridge is still structurally sound, according to Danny Straessle, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT).
He explained that the bus was "over the weight limit" when it crossed the bridge.
In a tweet, ARDOT said that there was "no damage" found after the 35 ton bus crossed the bridge, which is restricted to 10 tons.
Beaver Bridge, dubbed the Little Golden Gate Bridge of Arkansas, was built in 1949 in tandem with Table Rock Lake.
For years, the bridge served as a major transportation link for Beaver residents across the White River, according to the National Register Information System.
Beaver Bridge is one of very few suspension bridges open to traffic in Arkansas. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
THV11 has contributed to this report and added an update from ARDOT.