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Repairs uncertain for 1880s southern Indiana bridge

PAOLI, Ind. (AP) – Officials in southern Indiana are waiting to decide whether to restore an iron bridge dating to the 1880s that partially collapsed in December when a semitrailer tried to cross it.

Orange County Commissioner Donnie Crockett says many residents support restoring the bridge that crosses Lick Creek in the town of Paoli (pay-OH’-lee). But Crockett tells The (Bedford) Times-Mail that the bridge’s future will hinge largely on the county’s settlement with the trucking firm’s insurance company.

Crockett says two engineers have estimated it will cost about $1 million to restore the bridge in a way that preserves its historic features.

The bridge partially collapsed on Dec. 25 when police say a semi driver drove onto it with a load weighing nearly six times the posted limit.