There are a few important rules buses should observe when it comes to bridges. First, of course, is "Do not empty the septic tank while on a bridge, especially over a tour boat." That's a relatively new rule -- we didn't think this had to be said or written down -- but we have the Dave Matthews Band's tour bus to thank for it. The second rule is: "Do not exceed the weight limit of the bridge you're crossing."
The driver of the bus in the video above, as you can see, did not observe the 10-ton weight limit of the historic Beaver Bridge in Arkansas, which flexed pretty significantly under its 35-ton weight. We'd have to believe this was very apparent to the driver and passengers of the bus as they were crossing.
Since the video starts before the bus even enters the bridge, we suspect that the other drivers in queue knew what was coming, perhaps from having seen it happen with large trucks.
According to local residents interviewed by a news station in the video above, overweight vehicles cross it "all the time."
Maintenance crews inspected the bridge afterward and found no apparent signs of damage, according to WHNT19. But we're a little more worried about it now that we've heard that is not an unusual incident.
The one-lane wooden plank bridge, informally known as the Little Golden Gate Bridge of Arkansas, was built in 1949 along with another nearby bridge, and it crosses the White River. Located in the Eureka Springs area, the bridge appeared in the 2005 film "Elizabethtown" but not in a manner that tested its weight limit.
Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum. Despite being followed around by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow been able to avoid Citroën ownership, judging them too commonplace, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.
