A school bus became stuck in the newly opened Long Grove bridge in August 2020. (Courtesy of June Neumann/Viking Treasures)
The recent travails of Long Grove’s iconic covered bridge — struck by vehicles 35 times since reopening in August 2020 — has created something of a public sore spot for the village.
“Everyone likes to talk about it,” Village President Bill Jacob said. “It’s unbelievable that the bridge cover has been struck that many times,”
Even one local business got into the act. When a bus got stuck inside the bridge only a day after it reopened, Buffalo Creek Brewing introduced a new ale, the Bus Wedgie.
The bridge took center stage once again about a week ago, when a Lisle man failed to heed the sign warning that clearance is only 8 feet 6 inches and crashed into the bridge with a U-Haul truck.
But the real story, the one village officials would prefer to see in the headlines, is that the bridge cover is doing just what it was designed to do — absorb the slings and arrows of careless drivers, while protecting the part of the bridge that is truly historic.
Village documents detailing 26 of the 35 crashes indicate most were minor, causing relatively little, if any, damage to the structure.
The most costly occurred June 28, 2021, when an engineering inspection and canopy repairs cost the village $1,969. However, the village said the costs were recovered through the driver’s insurance.
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