Neighbors say new warning system at covered bridge making things worse

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Neighbors say a new warning system to keep drivers from hitting a notorious covered bridge in Cobb County is bringing its own set of problems.

Last month, the county installed dangling red plastic PVC pipes that hang down over the lanes at exactly seven feet  to warn drivers if they aren't going to clear the top of the historic bridge.

The protective poles seem to be doing their job: No one has hit the bridge since the new warnings went in two weeks ago.

But homeowners nearby told Channel 2's Steve Gehlbach the new warning system is just making things worse.

Vincent Wilson said the pipes started getting hit at high speeds within hours.

"When something smacks it, on the other end, they flip over the bar," Wilson said. "It's absolutely not working. That's the issue."

We're hearing from neighbors about all the problems the new warning system is causing, for Channel 2 Action News at 6 p.m.

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The county tried stabilizing the pipes with wires, but two weeks later, the other side is a tangled mess.

Gehlbach watched trucks and vans swerve to the other side of the road into the oncoming lanes to avoid them.

One neighbor sent Gehlbach video of something that they say has happened all-too-often.

Neighbors said truck drivers see the poles, stop, and then realize there is is only one way to go: Down their neighborhood street, which happens to be a dead end. The trucks end up getting stuck, turning around or backing out.

"An 18-wheeler cocked sideways back here because it's trying to turn around, and now it's stuck in our neighborhood," one neighbor said. "Now the hazard has just changed from one spot to another."

One the opposite side of the bridge, neighbors complained about the noise and think there should be warning lights.

"No one can even see this at night, and clearly, we're hearing this," a neighbor said.

A spokesperson for the Cobb County Department of Transportation said so far, they're happy with the new warning system.

The bridge and its beams used to get hit more than once a month.

An hour after Gehlbach sent the county photos of the tangled poles, crews were back on Concord Road on Friday afternoon working to untangle them.

"One neighbor said the only solution is to uncover the covered bridge.

"If you take the top off the bridge, you don't have a clearance problem," one neighbor said.

Some are even suggesting the county move the entire bridge.

County leaders said they'll take another look in two or three weeks to evaluate how the new system is working.

Cox Media Group