TRIGG COUNTY, Ky.- It's been more than one week since a barge crashed into the Eggner's Ferry Bridge causing part of it to collapse. Ever since, people were issued tickets for ignoring roadblocks to get a glimpse of the damage. Saturday, those roadblocks were removed for a couple of hours while thousands came to get a closer look.
It's one thing to see the images on the news. It's something quite different to see the damage with your own eyes.
"This is a pretty little community, but this is something to see," Hopkinsville resident Bernie Schmitt said as she walked towards the area designated for the public.
That's why nearly 1,900 people made the quarter mile trek from their cars, because the Eggner's Ferry Bridge is more than a connection from Cadiz to Maury. It's a connection to memories.
"I fished here all my life and I never thought I'd see anything like this," Hopkinsville resident Gary Hightower explained.
The bridge was no match for Delta Mariner's force.
"Either the lights were not working or the captain wasn't," Hopkinsville resident Mickey Schmitt said, pausing in the middle of his sentence. "Somebody is at fault to do this kind of damage," he continued.
"I can see the road on top of…actually the concrete on top of the boat itself," Hightower added as he looked at the damage. "I don't know. It's eerie. It's really eerie."
Part of the bridge is draped over the bow. According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the debris is anchoring the ship in the water. Now the process has begun to remove it.
Curiosity has been building for more than a week.
"That bridge has been there since 1932. It's been bumped, and it's been rubbed but it's never been demolished," Hightower added.
Still, the sight of the damage does not answer lingering questions.
"To see it in person, it makes it real, it's real now," Bernie Schmitt said.
Those road closures are back in place. Anyone who ignores them will be given a citation. As for the salvage work, that's expected to last for an indefinite period of time.
