NORWICH – Disobeying a posted three-ton limit sign on the Redmill Hill bridge, a truck driver with a 30-ton tractor trailer drove over the expanse and then got stuck a few yards up the road while negotiating the hill’s steep, turning incline Tuesday.

The driver then attempted to reverse his truck back over the bridge, but was stopped by sheriff’s deputies arriving on the scene.

Police said the truck’s documentation said it was carrying a load at half its total capacity, weighing just over 60,000 pounds (30 tons) altogether, which is 10 times more than the bridge’s allowed weight limit.

Police said the truck’s driver, who was not identified, tried to force his way up the hill and spun his heavy tires on the roadway to no avail, leaving 20-foot streaks of rubber on the pavement.

Motorists heading down the road said they nearly struck the stranded trailer yesterday afternoon, which was caught on a blind turn in a posted 20 mile an hour zone, completely blocking both sides of the roadway.