Another close call for Cobb’s covered bridge

Historic structure has near-misses with drivers every month.

Congratulations! We’re in the teens.

Yes, for the 13th time since taxpayers spent $800,000 rehabbing it, someone has almost run into the Concord Road Covered Bridge, which has stood near what is now Smyrna for more than 145 years.

The drivers of metro Atlanta are nothing if not consistent.

The county announced the strike Friday in may be one of the finest examples of municipal government poetry the world has ever seen.

The county was not immediately available for details like who, when and how much they paid in fines. Usually, the bill for drivers is about $500.

Seven-foot-high metal beams protect the bridge, which is in the National Register of Historic Places.

The beams, which look like giant yellow staples, were replaced in late October because of being rammed by too many motor vehicles while protecting the bridge, which is what they’re built to do.

The structure was reopened about a year ago, mostly because it was leaning. At that time, crews replaced the bridge’s decaying siding and shingles, added structural supports and repainted it.

Even with the beams and flashing signs, the bridge is averaging more than one near-strike a month.

The last time it happened was Dec. 4.

Let’s all add to our New Year’s resolutions not almost destroying an outdated wooden structure spanning a waterway.

Auld Lang Syne!

CONTRIBUTED BY COBB COUNTY GOVERNMENT For the 13th time in 2018, someone almost hit Cobb County’s 145-year-old historic covered bridge.