Carbon County commissioners figure that since drivers keep smashing through the wooden warning barriers at the entrances to a 155-year-old covered bridge, steel beams just might do the trick.

On Thursday, the commissioners hired Structural Metal Fabricators of Palmerton for $13,637 to install a U-shaped steel beam before the entrances to the bridge, which is 15 feet wide and 73 feet long, and spans the Aquashicola Creek in Lower Towamensing Township."Long story short, they're not going to hit the bridge any more," said Commissioner Thomas Gerhard.He said Structural Metal will use the same organic zinc paint on the beam that it used on the new metal grid on the floor of the bridge.The work is expected to begin soon after the company submits insurance documents to the county, Gerhard said. It's expected to shut down the bridge for one to three weeks.After spending $304,000 in state funds to refurbish the bridge last year, the county placed wooden "headache bars" several feet in front of the entrance to let drivers know when their vehicles are too high or wide to fit.There have been two or three incidents this year of vehicles smacking the bars this year, said commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein.Commissioner William O'Gurek said a man who was pulling a boat that was too high through the bridge "just crashed straight through it."Gerhard suggested the steel barrier, and county engineer Mike Tirpak researched the idea.Numerous vehicles have hit the bridge over the years, causing thousands of dollars in damages.The bridge was closed from July through Nov. 10, 2014, so crews from Professional Construction Contractors of Bethlehem could replace the open-grid steel deck and sandblast and paint the bridge.The headache barrier was installed.The $304,000 cost of the project was covered by Act 13 bridge improvement funds and Act 44 funds.Less than two months later, a vehicle hit and damaged the barrier. In March, a truck hit the barrier and severely damaged it.