Signs on either side of the bridge on Leggtown Road mark it as only suitable for vehicles under 10 tons.

The new year brings new changes, and for some families in western Limestone, that means new bus stops.

Most children in the county can be picked up or dropped off at their home by a school bus. Unfortunately, Limestone County Schools learned this month of two bridges that cannot hold the weight of a bus, meaning the district had to quickly alter routes that traveled those bridges, according to LCS Director of Transportation Rusty Bates.

In the case of parents who lived on the other side of the Leggtown Road bridge, this meant finding out via letter that they had until the next school day to find a way to get their child between home and Leggtown Church of Christ, their child’s new bus stop.

Bates said as inconvenient as it is for parents, it’s what is safest for the child.

“Once it was brought to our attention that it was a 10-ton bridge, we have to stay off it immediately,” Bates said. “There is no ‘give you a week to get adjusted.’ It doesn’t work like that. The law is if I cross that bridge and it collapses, I’m responsible.”

He said he’s not willing to take that risk with someone’s child — much less a bus full of them.

“That’s child endangerment, and I’m going to do that,” he said.

Bates also noted this is not an uncommon problem in the county. As of Tuesday, he knew of seven locations, Leggtown Road included, where students must be taken to a bus stop. A typical school bus weighs 18 tons, he said, and some students must travel multiple miles to reach a bus stop because they live on private roads or the other side of an underweighted bridge.

“We do not guarantee anybody that we can pick them up at their door,” Bates said. “Bus riding is a privilege … There are a lot of places where we can’t (pick students up).”

However, some have said the weight limits aren’t exactly new information. During a Limestone County Commission meeting Monday, District 4 Commissioner Ben Harrison said the weight limit signs alerting drivers to the 10-ton limit on the Leggtown Road bridge have been posted since at least 2005. He later told The News Courier bridges that are rated for 12.5 tons are approved for school bus travel, even if the bus weighs more.

“Nothing has changed recently except they’ve been paying attention to the tonnage signs,” Harrison said.

Bates confirmed an LCS bus driver reported the bridge as unsuitable for the route. He said drivers were reminded to keep an eye out for possible route issues after a bridge on Chapman Hollow Road was reduced from a 10-ton weight limit to 3 tons, affecting its route.

“Drivers are our eyes and ears out there,” he said. “They drive these roads every day … and when they see problems, they’re going to tell us.”

He also encouraged any parent with questions about their child’s route to contact his department at 256-232-5130.