Locals Use Semi Truck Trailers To Replace Bridge Washed Away By Hurricane Helene

Folks in a remote part of northern Tennessee took matters into their own hands and built a temporary bridge out of semi trailers after the floods following Hurricane Helene last month destroyed the last one.

Hurricane Helene caused billions of dollars in damage and sadly killed hundreds of people. Local infrastructure was crippled leaving people in mountainous areas like North Carolina and Tennessee cut off from help. Residents and aid workers in Poga, Tennessee decided to take rebuilding the local infrastructure into their own hands, the Drive reports.

YouTuber and storm chaser Aaron Rigsby spotted the makeshift repair using a drone and posted the footage to his channel. From the footage and the Drive’s description, it looks to be quick but brilliant work.

In the video are three flatbed trailers placed parallel to the stream with what looks like a two-wide row of trailer decks mounted on top connecting two stretches of gravel. And while it probably wouldn’t be wise to drive a loaded big rig across, it looks plenty stable for the pickup truck in the clip.

As the Drive pointed out, it’s not known how exactly the trailers were placed over the river, but one could assume a crane of some sort. While residents could have waited on state or federal help to repair the bridge, that might have been a long wait, especially with local infrastructure still damaged from the storm. Nearby I-40, one of the main thoroughfares into the area, remains closed. Trucks hauling desperately needed supplies and equipment into the area have been forced to reroute and no one seems to know when I-140 will reopen as its closure has been described as indefinite.

It’s great to see local ingenuity working to ease some of the stress of an already under served community smashed to pieces by nature. Necessity truly is the mother of invention