Problems With Wooden Bridge Reported Before Collapse In Baltimore County

PHOENIX, MD — Investigators said a truck driver committed no wrongdoing by crossing a bridge that collapsed while his truck was on it this week in Baltimore County.

The Carroll Road Bridge, originally built in 1879, fell Monday around 5 p.m. in Phoenix as a septic truck drove over it. Nobody was hurt as the 92-foot-long crossing fell into the small stream below. Photos also showed a toppled tree lying over the downed bridge.

"The bridge had collapsed first, which had triggered the tree to fall," the truck driver, John Cossentino, told WBAL-TV. "Glass was shattering on me, a big beam on the bridge came down on me; it was like a bad dream."

WBAL reported that inspectors downgraded the bridge's status from "satisfactory" to "fair" in 2023. A December 2024 inspection determined the crossing was still in "fair" condition, The Baltimore Sun said.

WBAL said inspectors found decaying timber and loose bolts, but county officials think the issues weren't significant enough to warrant an immediate response.

The Sun said rain toppled the bridge and washed it away in 1898, but the structure was rebuilt less than two months later.

The crossing was refurbished in 2006, HistoricBridges.org said. The bridge runs over the Carroll Branch stream, which connects with Big Gunpowder Falls.

The bridge, which had a wooden deck and a metal truss, had a 51,000-pound weight limit, Baltimore County Department of Public Works and Transportation spokesperson Ron Snyder told The Sun.

The Baltimore County Fire Department initially said the truck caused the collapse, but it later backtracked and said the cause was still under investigation.

The Baltimore County Police Department on Wednesday "determined that the vehicle was not in violation for crossing the bridge." No tickets were issued.

"I have been cleared of all fault," Cossentino told WBAL. "They weighed every single ounce of my truck and every single ounce of the load that I was carrying. I was 10,000 pounds under the certified limit."

The Sun said a detour route had not been finalized around the one-lane bridge by Tuesday afternoon. The bridge averaged over 2,500 crossings per day, The Sun said, citing the U.S. Department of Transportation.

There is not yet a clear timeline for bridge repairs or a replacement.

Related: Small Bridge Collapses In Baltimore County: Firefighters

This map shows the location of the bridge that collapsed.