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

Started by mrsman, July 22, 2015, 11:07:26 PM

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Pete from Boston

Why do we throw good ideas away?  Just rig up something like this:



noelbotevera


DeaconG

Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 17, 2016, 09:08:07 PM
Why do we throw good ideas away?  Just rig up something like this:



Just add a rollup door that drops down when the detector's triggered and it's ON!
Dawnstar: "You're an ape! And you can talk!"
King Solovar: "And you're a human with wings! Reality holds surprises for everyone!"
-Crisis On Infinite Earths #2

D-Dey65


Pete from Boston


cl94

Or they could install a couple of these. All outlined in red and flashing. Arrows alternate flashing.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

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Pete from Boston

We do have overheight sensors here.  You I have never actually seen them function and they look like they have not worked in decades, but the concept has been attempted.

D-Dey65

Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 20, 2016, 03:21:55 PM
Mississippi.  Discussed extensively here:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=12196.0
Wow. All these discussions I end up missing.

Oh, that looks like Button Copy too.

wdcrft63

NCDOT has a project to try to stop the crashes at Durham's famous Gregson Street truck-eating underpass. The idea is a laser that will detect the approach of an over-height truck and turn the stoplight red until the truck turns away from the bridge. We'll see if it works! The same project is happening at another (but much less famous) underpass in Durham.
http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/durham-wants-to-keep-trucks-from-crashing-into-the-can-opener-bridge/Content?oid=5017954&utm_content=buffer29554&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

wdcrft63


D-Dey65

Thankfully, Post Avenue in Westbury has little chance of reaching the level of Gregson Street's collision record.

http://www.mta.info/news/2017/10/23/westbury%E2%80%99s-post-avenue-bridge-replaced-ahead-schedule

Sometimes though, I wonder if all the money being spent of elaborate crash prevention measures could be better spent on replacing the Gregson Street bridge itself.




freebrickproductions

Quote from: D-Dey65 on October 24, 2017, 10:22:59 PM
Sometimes though, I wonder if all the money being spent of elaborate crash prevention measures could be better spent on replacing the Gregson Street bridge itself.
Depending on how busy the line is, and how far out of the way the railroad would have to reroute the trains, the railroad may be a major obstacle in replacing said bridge.
It's all fun & games until someone summons Cthulhu and brings about the end of the world.

I also collect traffic lights, road signs, fans, and railroad crossing equipment.

(They/Them)

1995hoo

"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

wdcrft63

Quote from: freebrickproductions on October 24, 2017, 10:31:36 PM
Quote from: D-Dey65 on October 24, 2017, 10:22:59 PM
Sometimes though, I wonder if all the money being spent of elaborate crash prevention measures could be better spent on replacing the Gregson Street bridge itself.
Depending on how busy the line is, and how far out of the way the railroad would have to reroute the trains, the railroad may be a major obstacle in replacing said bridge.
The railroad is in a downtown area close to the Amtrak station, so nothing can be done to adjust the level of the tracks. The only way to replace the bridge with one that has better clearance would be to lower the street level, and that would be enormously expensive.

kkt

I understand the street has main pipes (sewer or water?) under the pavement, so there's little room for lowering the road and relocating the pipes would be hugely expensive.

NJRoadfan

In both those videos, the truck blatantly blew thru a red light. They should be lucky they only hit the bridge!

orulz

They are actually planning to build a new grade separation at Mangum and Blackwell, and raise the bridge at Roxboro, some time within the next 10 years. While they're at it, they should raise the bridges at Chapel Hill and Gregson, and build a grade separation for Duke as well. They would have to rebuild the Amtrak platform. This would approximately double the scope of the project but it would (IMO) more than double the benefits.

ARMOURERERIC

I would like to know the official labelled height of that Penske truck.  I rented on when I moved from San Diego to NC and all the drivers manuals and labels on the actual truck stated the need for 11'-1".    The truck should have easily made under an 11'-8" clearance overpass.

1995hoo

The bridge was in action again this morning. This truck was absolutely mangled.

http://youtu.be/aBLH8qvaIFg
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

kkt

And that one looks like they were pro drivers, not amateurs driving a rental van.
Hope nobody lost irreplaceable items in the truck.

cl94

Quote from: NJRoadfan on October 31, 2017, 09:01:27 PM
In both those videos, the truck blatantly blew thru a red light. They should be lucky they only hit the bridge!

The light in front of the bridge is rigged to turn red when an overheight truck approaches in order to reduce accidents and was actually installed for that purpose. Of course, some of the drivers just gun it and hit the bridge going even faster.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

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epzik8

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freebrickproductions

Quote from: kkt on November 02, 2017, 05:43:43 PM
And that one looks like they were pro drivers, not amateurs driving a rental van.
Hope nobody lost irreplaceable items in the truck.

Looks like the truck may have been empty.
It's all fun & games until someone summons Cthulhu and brings about the end of the world.

I also collect traffic lights, road signs, fans, and railroad crossing equipment.

(They/Them)

ilpt4u

I'm going to make a dumb suggestion...

Why not sign the Underpass for a lower height? Give a little room for error?

Sign it for 11 Feet flat

Not saying that will stop these incidents, but error on the side of caution!

Who knows, maybe it already is signed on the side of caution...

freebrickproductions

Maybe they should just close the road under the bridge permanently, and funnel the traffic elsewhere.
It's all fun & games until someone summons Cthulhu and brings about the end of the world.

I also collect traffic lights, road signs, fans, and railroad crossing equipment.

(They/Them)



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