Partially collapsed bridge on Nemo Road is closed down

At about 9:30 on Wednesday morning, a bridge on Nemo Road partially fell into Box Elder Creek after a truck drove over, which consequently damaged the truck and caused it to go off the road. No one was reported injured.

An engineer was sent to the scene to determine if they can open at least one lane of the bridge as they undergo any repair, but it was deemed unsafe to have any traffic and the bridge is now closed down completely.

A recommended detour is to use Norris Peak Road to Highway 44 to Highway 385 to Merritt Estes Road.

Joe Miller, the highway superintendent for Pennington County says, it might take a long time to repair the bridge. "Best case scenario, before the end of the year, worst case scenario, probably next season," Miller comments on the time frame of the closure.

"This was not a bridge that was on our record or on our schedule to be replaced or have any rehabilitation done. So this one came as a surprise to us, it wasn't a structurally deficient bridge," Miller says, he thinks this is also why Pennington County needs to have wheel tax to get local and state funding to keep the county roads safe.