PennDOT has closed the Meridian Road bridge over Connoquenessing Creek at Renfrew after a Dec. 31 crash. The department said there was no structural damage, but some of the guard rail was lost.

RENFREW — The single-lane bridge where Meridian Road crosses Connoquenessing Creek is closed following a semitruck crash on Dec. 31.

The truck ripped some of the bridge's guard rail off one side. Personnel at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's Butler office opted to close the bridge until the rail is replaced. Such work should occur “as soon as possible,” according to Mike Mattis, PennDOT's maintenance manager for Butler County.

“For the safety of the traveling public, especially over the holiday, we thought it was in everyone's best interest,” Mattis said of the bridge closure.

Although it's a small bridge, it carries about 1,000 to 1,500 cars a day, according to Mattis.

An inspection of the bridge following the wreck found that it suffered no structural damage, Mattis said. The guard rail was torn off, but the bridge is still structurally sound.

“It's great news,” Mattis said.

Still, Mattis and other PennDOT staff felt the bridge shouldn't be used with the missing safety rail.

The wreck occurred at 11:25 a.m. Dec. 31, according to Penn Township police.

Administrative office staff confirmed that the driver was named Colin Sears, but did not release his age or the company employing him.Sears was cited for disobeying traffic signs. The road has a 10-ton weight limit, and a semitruck of the size Sears was driving should not have been using it, according to police. A weighmaster was unable to be brought in to verify the truck's weight.Ken Donaldson, who lives in a house on the southern side of the bridge, said he hasn't minded the closure because it allows him to safely walk across the bridge to the post office on the other side without dodging traffic.“It's pretty nice for me,” he said, chuckling.Donaldson said he sees trucks and cars struggle on the bridge occasionally. He heard this one hit, then saw that it had ripped the guardrail up and pulled it as the driver continued on to the other side. The truck made it across the bridge, despite taking a piece with it, he said.The official detour for the route has drivers on the north side of the bridge taking McCalmont Road to Route 8, then taking Renfrew Road back to Meridian Road on the bridge's south side.

The single-lane bridge is small, but carries 1,000 to 1,500 cars a day, according to PennDOT.