DANIA BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida bridge has been closed down to traffic after a chunk of concrete fell onto a boat underneath.
Commuters who usually drive over the Northwest First Street canal bridge have been diverted while the City of Dania Beach figures out what to do next.
No one has been seriously hurt from the falling debris, but there have been some close calls.
Back on Oct. 1, it appears that a large chunk of the bridge fell on top of a boat as it traveled under the canal bridge. The two men on board were not badly hurt, but pictures taken showed their banged up boat and how it could have been much worse.
Local business owners called on the city to shut down the bridge while they figure out what happened and make the appropriate repairs.
“Until they determine what’s wrong with that bridge, that bridge should be shut down,” said co-owner of Dusky Marine Pam Brown.
The city closed off the bridge just east of North Bryan Road.
An officer has been posted at the entrance to the bridge and a sign was put up to warn boaters of possible floating debris.
The city said there is a special risk for trucks carrying large loads, and they shut down the bridge to traffic to keep other boaters from getting hit like the two boaters who originally reported the problem earlier in the month.
“Got under the bridge and all of a sudden I thought maybe somebody threw a concrete block at us,” said boater Noel Matlock, “and realized, no, the bridge had fell down.”
Boater Gennaro DiMartino described the size of the chunk of concrete.
“It was like that long by like that wide,” DiMartino said holding out his hands. “It was a big piece that came down.”
DiMartino said if Matlock was standing further back, the block would have hit him in the head.
There is no word on when the bridge will reopen.
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