Chomp! Chomp! Penn Ave. bridge ready for next victim

LANSING — Lansing's infamous Pennsylvania Avenue bridge has a new look.

In the last few days, eyes and teeth have been added to the bridge that's known for wreaking havoc on too-tall trucks attempting to drive underneath .

The exactly 12 foot high bridge near Potter Park Zoo's entrance has been the subject of social media jokes among Lansing residents (or Lanstronauts, as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would say ) for the repeated collisions between the bridge and trucks or equipment.

In May, the bridge damaged at least two trucks. A driver struck the bridge May 11, sheering the top off a semi trailer, and a box truck on May 21 almost made it under the bridge but was pinned underneath. And on June 11, a large metal shipping container was knocked off a truck and landed in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue.

STUPID, the Society for Totally Useless Pranks and Immature Dumbassery, identifies itself as a non-profit on Facebook and explained its reasons for adding some monstrous touches to the bridge it calls “Big Penny.”

“Lansing we are STUPID, and we love to make you smile!” a Tuesday post said .

Reactions to the new look popped up on X shortly after.

Lansing Facts (@LansingMIFacts), a "parody account" on X for Lansing locals, referenced the popular "brat summer" phenomenon :

A Lansing resident (@MoskoLoots on X) posted a picture of the bridge's new look, with the caption, "it hungers."

A local small business owner, Rachel Harper (@rachelrockstar) on X, called for the truck drivers who'd fallen victim to the bridge to go on a podcast together:

Contact Sarah Atwood at satwood@lsj.com. Follow her on X @sarahmatwood.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Chomp! Chomp! Penn Ave. bridge ready for next victim