Covered Bridge sign destroyed

A sign proclaiming the identity of St. Joseph County’s most notable icon was destroyed following a pair of incidents the past two weeks.
Located north of the Langley Covered Bridge, the sign and a horizontal PVC pipe in place to warn motorists about height restrictions were struck twice in a 10-day span, demolishing the PVC pipe and totaling the sign.
Chris Minger, manager of the St. Joseph County Road Commission, said he was alerted July 17 that an 11-foot U-Haul box truck heading southbound did the initial damage. The collision pushed the center of the sign forward.
Minger said a delivery truck 10 days later struck the sign. In the process, the PVC pipe shattered, its eyehooks were forced out of place and the center of the sign was further damaged, beyond the point of repair.
Minger said a replacement sign is being made and the drivers will be billed not only for the cost of the replacement, but for the sheriff’s department and road commission man hours spent at the scene the days of the incidents. Also included will be the half day it will likely take the road commission to install the new sign. The figures will be tallied and bill presented after the replacement is installed in September.
Clearance under the PVC pipe is seven feet and the sign itself has nine-foot space allocation.