North Carolina's Famed Truck-Scalping Bridge Nears 100 Recorded Crashes

[hbelkins]

They're raising it to 12'4". Still gonna scalp a whole lot of trucks.

[X99]

They're raising it to 12'4". Still gonna scalp a whole lot of trucks.

They should put up an infrared barrier under the bridge so that when trucks taller than 11'8" pass under it without hitting the new bridge, an electronic sign tells them they would have hit the old bridge.

[wdcrft63]

I don't in any way excuse the irresponsibility of drivers who are ignorant of their vehicle heights and the clearances of underpasses, but I wonder if a more explicit warning sign might have prevented some of these crashes.  "Overheight Must Turn" comes across as a general point of information.  If the sign said something like "YOU Are Overheight, YOU Must Turn NOW," perhaps more drivers would realize their danger.

An indicator sign was installed a few years ago. In the video earlier in the thread you can see it turn on but the driver still hits the bridge.

It's worse than that. The system turns the stoplight red for overweight trucks; in some videos you see trucks accelerating through the amber/red light so as to hit the bridge even harder.

[rickmastfan67]

They're finally gonna increase the clearance.

https://www.cbs17.com/news/durhams-infamous-can-opener-bridge-to-be-raised/

Discussion of this is on the North Carolina thread. I started that discussion, and I knew this thread existed, but I failed to find it.

I can split it out later and merge it into this thread.

This has been done now.

[hbelkins]

They're raising it to 12'4". Still gonna scalp a whole lot of trucks.

They should put up an infrared barrier under the bridge so that when trucks taller than 11'8" pass under it without hitting the new bridge, an electronic sign tells them they would have hit the old bridge.

That would be an awfully expensive "look what we did for you" message.

[goobnav]

They're raising it to 12'4". Still gonna scalp a whole lot of trucks.

They should put up an infrared barrier under the bridge so that when trucks taller than 11'8" pass under it without hitting the new bridge, an electronic sign tells them they would have hit the old bridge.

That would be an awfully expensive "look what we did for you" message.

Yeah but, really funny, .

[D-Dey65]

They're raising it to 12'4". Still gonna scalp a whole lot of trucks.

They should put up an infrared barrier under the bridge so that when trucks taller than 11'8" pass under it without hitting the new bridge, an electronic sign tells them they would have hit the old bridge.

That would be an awfully expensive "look what we did for you" message.

The Long Island Rail Road keeps putting up YouTube videos related to their third track project, and it includes a lot of new higher (and wider) bridges replacing old ones. People have posted messages on them thinking it's this bridge.

Anyway, most of the ones replaced by the LIRR are 14 feet.

[rickmastfan67]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raptWPQbkMg

[roadman65]

Well being a toll collector I can assure you that today's quality of drivers will cause more of these types of scalping incidents.   As one pointed out in another thread, many drivers today are doing it by force and no longer drive semis and stuff for the thrill of driving anymore.  Plus ignorance of this time and era we live in does not help, as the GPS rules and many drivers forget that trucks do not have the same freedom as cars do, so they listen to the GPS as the unwritten law of travel.

[rickmastfan67]

Dead man walking, final canopener meal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nquHli7P5s

[MNHighwayMan]

Dead man walking, final canopener meal.

Despite the eight inch lift, I would hardly think this is the last overheight vehicle to try to go through there.

[rickmastfan67]

Dead man walking, final canopener meal.

Despite the eight inch lift, I would hardly think this is the last overheight vehicle to try to go through there.

True, but might be the last like this one.

[wdcrft63]

Dead man walking, final canopener meal.

Despite the eight inch lift, I would hardly think this is the last overheight vehicle to try to go through there.

Semis are typically 13 ft 6 in and larger rental trucks run about 13 ft, so there are plenty of trucks that won't fit under a 12 ft 4 in bridge.

[mgk920]

That last one won't fit under the new and improved version, either.



Mike

[US71]

It begins....

[rickmastfan67]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiiEPSKrCMk

[US71]

There needs to be a prize for the first truck to hit this

[planxtymcgillicuddy]

There needs to be a prize for the first truck to hit this

I'll put the line on a month before a truck gets scalped, and I'll take the under

[X99]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiiEPSKrCMk

That was quick.

[goobnav]

There needs to be a prize for the first truck to hit this

Yep, there is, a fine and cost for repairs, .

[D-Dey65]

So far I've heard no reports of any trucks crashing into it, even though they clearly could. Which simply exacerbates my suspicion that some drivers have deliberately crashed trucks into the old 11'8" bridge so they could wind up on YouTube.

[rickmastfan67]

Munch, munch, munch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQssl0sM9As

[ARMOURERERIC]

Funny, I have rented that model of Pensky truck and its rated height is 11'-1"

[tolbs17]

Build higher overpasses!

[Roadsguy]

Munch, munch, munch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQssl0sM9As

There goes the untouched paint job on that bar...