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MOFFAT COUNTY, Colo. — A tractor became stuck on a swinging bridge Tuesday after a ranch hand attempted to drive it across.

Joel Colvin, biological science technician for Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge, said the tractor became stuck Tuesday night but wasn't discovered by Browns Park staff until Wednesday morning. Moffat County Road 83 runs across the bridge and is frequently used by the general public, Colvin said.

Colvin said the ranch hand of a local rancher was driving a New Holland tractor across the bridge when the back tire broke through the wooden planks. The bridge has a posted three-ton weight limit, and Colvin estimated the tractor weighed around six tons.

"The tractor was probably a little heavier than it should have been," he said. "It's wood planking on the bridge and so it could have been a combination of factors."

Colvin said the bridge has been closed and crews are working on several options to remove the tractor.

"It's a job trying to get it figured out and get it out safely," he said.

The bridge was renovated during a construction upgrade around four years ago, Colvin said.

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