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Old 11-07-10, 04:41 AM
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Low Bridge

Well, I don't suppose you need any reminders of how stupid drivers can be but I find this really funny even if it is truly scary. My advice ... don't ride under this bridge if there is any possibility a truck could pass you ... disclaimer: Jürgen Henn is my brother-in-law.
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Old 11-07-10, 05:12 AM
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I really like they way the bus driver stops untill he finishes laughing........then drives on.
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Old 11-07-10, 07:58 AM
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I surprised the bus had room to squeeze by. It looked like there wasn't enough room between the truck and the support columns.
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Old 11-07-10, 08:12 AM
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Some jurisdictions, most notably New York state deliberately do not post accurate bridge clearances which adds to the confusion. It was long the policy in New York to subtract one foot from the actual clearance. Drivers soon became used to taking 13'6" vehicles through bridges posted 12'6"
Newbie drivers used to these conditions can soon run into trouble in other states that do not practice this.
Mostly, it comes down to common sense, or lack of it.
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Old 11-07-10, 08:51 AM
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That is one sturdy bridge! Out here in lawsuit happy California that would never happen. After the second or third truck hit it there would be a big NO TRUCKS sign and if that didn't work they would close the street.
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Old 11-07-10, 09:30 AM
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Anyone riding a Tall Bike ever hit that Low Bridge?
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Old 11-07-10, 09:34 AM
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I loved the guy pulling the Fifth Wheel and taking off his A/C unit. Probably didn't even know it was gone until he went to turn it on!
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Old 11-07-10, 12:50 PM
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Not too long ago, a guy driving a garbage truck unknowingly had the bin in the UP position when he ran into a pedestrian overpass on a highway close to Vancouver, BC. The overpass stopped the truck dead, then fell on the cab, crushing the driver. You do not want to mess with overpasses. In BC, they are required to be earthquake-proof.

L.
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Old 11-07-10, 02:08 PM
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This actually happened to a short bridge on our MUP. A tractor trailer knocked the bridge off it's pier and kept going. Along comes the UPS guy who has driven under the thing a thousand times and blam. Off comes the entire top of his truck due to the new lower height. PA DOT made them tear down the bridge and at present you have to walk your bike down to the road, cross and walk back up to the trail.

Supposedly stimulus money is coming to build a new bridge. Most likely sometime just before Nov. 2012.
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Old 11-07-10, 06:02 PM
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I saw that happen one time, only it was the substructure of a drilling rig on the back of an 18 wheeler on US 183 in Central Texas. I was about 200 yards behind. It was one of the old style "s" turns under a railroad track. Just like the yellow truck, it jerked the front wheels up and the truck came to a real quick stop. But the sub on a rig is nothing but a gridwork of real strong steel, and it had wedged under the RR crossing. After the cops got there they let the air out of the tires and got loose. The truck driver had a broken nose from the, uh, sudden stop.
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Old 11-07-10, 09:26 PM
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There is a reason the driving test for a CDL requires the tester to ask the driver being tested what the clearance height of at least one overpass was after they go under it. From the looks of all the class C vehicles hitting this one, maybe that needs to be added to the class C driving test.
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Old 11-08-10, 11:26 AM
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As Maxwell Smart would say, "Missed. By THAT much!" His truck couldn't have been much over 11'9". Ouch.

You know, as many trucks almost go under it, seems like the engineer that designed that bridge should have had the road dropped just a couple of inches. Bad civic planning if you ask me.
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Old 11-08-10, 12:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Artkansas
As Maxwell Smart would say, "Missed. By THAT much!" His truck couldn't have been much over 11'9". Ouch.

You know, as many trucks almost go under it, seems like the engineer that designed that bridge should have had the road dropped just a couple of inches. Bad civic planning if you ask me.
As a long time trucker, I can tell ya that if the clearance sign is faded, and the asphalt looks fresh, don't believe nuthin.
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Old 11-08-10, 02:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Artkansas
As Maxwell Smart would say, "Missed. By THAT much!" His truck couldn't have been much over 11'9". Ouch.

You know, as many trucks almost go under it, seems like the engineer that designed that bridge should have had the road dropped just a couple of inches. Bad civic planning if you ask me.
According to Jürgen they can't lower the road without replacing the sewer line, a very expensive proposition.
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Old 11-08-10, 02:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Dan Burkhart
As a long time trucker, I can tell ya that if the clearance sign is faded, and the asphalt looks fresh, don't believe nuthin.
In theory, even if the distance was shortened by resurfacing the lights would still flash if the truck if over-height. In many of the videos you can see the over-height lights flashing. I have a friend who is a trucker who tells me he hit one once that he had cleared earlier in the day because his had forgotten his load had lightened.
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Old 11-08-10, 03:05 PM
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We have a bridge like that in Raleigh NC. Its at the bottom of a steep hill in town, I have seen a few truck tops crushed also. Its a railroad tressle like the one in the vid.
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Old 11-08-10, 11:12 PM
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somewhere on the web is the horror story of the guy whose moving company ran the truck holding all of his worldly belongings into a bridge down the road from his house and destroyed everything. The moving company was trying to pretend that nothing ever happend, as in "we didn't deliver, so you don't have to pay us anything."
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Old 11-13-10, 04:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Metric Man
That is one sturdy bridge! Out here in lawsuit happy California that would never happen. After the second or third truck hit it there would be a big NO TRUCKS sign and if that didn't work they would close the street.
I think the have room for you in Arkansas. Make the move.
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Old 11-13-10, 05:21 PM
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Originally Posted by FrenchFit
I think the have room for you in Arkansas. Make the move.
Don't tempt me...after our recent elections there will be Californians fleeing as fast as they can.
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