Connecticut Department of Transportation officials found repairs are needed for the Route 34 bridge over Stevenson Dam following an annual inspection and issued a restriction in May, barring vehicles weighing over 15 tons from driving over the bridge.
Police Capt. Keith White said this includes large commercial vehicles like tractor trailers and trucks with cement mixers. However, he added many drivers have been ignoring the DOT restriction.
“Trucks continue to use the dam, even though signs are posted for miles in both directions, all the way to routes 8 and 84,” White said Friday.
In response to the problem, police have increase enforcement by the bridge.
On Wednesday, police officers stopped five rigs on Route 34 over a period from 5:57 p.m. to 7:03 p.m and issued infractions to the drivers for operation of a motor vehicle exceeding a posted load capacity.
According to the DOT, “the restrictions will be in place until needed repairs are designed and completed.”
Window smashed
A Family Medical Center employee reported a vandalism of his Subaru Outback Tuesday.
Police said someone smashed the rear passenger side window of the vehicle in the parking lot, sometime between 8:10 a.m. and 12:16 p.m., when the employee came out for his lunch break and discovered the damage.
The victim told police he saw landscapers working on the grounds that morning, but the landscaper told an officer he did not cause the damage and none of his workers saw anything, according to the report.
Car vs. utility pole
The driver of a Honda Civic LX told police the steering wheel locked up on a right turn heading south on Pepper Street, causing the vehicle to cross into the north bound lane and strike a utility pole on the other side of the roadway Thursday morning.
Police said the driver, who is a juvenile from Monroe who cannot be identified, was not injured, but was issued an infraction for failure to maintain the proper lane.
The accident occurred in the 500 block of Pepper Street around 7:11 a.m.
Theft from a vehicle
A Route 59 resident reported the theft of a Samsung tablet from his unlocked Audi Quattro S, when it was parked outside his home.
Police said the theft occurred sometime over night from Saturday into Sunday.
