For those that remember the 1980s when late NBA player Manute Bol played for Washington and Golden State NBA teams and the 7 foot 9in center would raise his arms to defend against any basket attempts and Manute's arms being raised or Manute jumping would elevate him to nearly 10.5 feet. I can envision Manute bumping his head against the overpass if he ever had to go underneath the overpass.
I copied this from the site (DU) that I occasionally visit even though I no longer post there like I used to. The video clip has its funny moments especially in the final segment where the driver tried to turn left and then realized the street is a one way street and then had to reverse back to intersection and took gamble of going under the overpass. It is a no win situation for any truck driver if having to drive to that intersection.
-- Having a lousy day - could be worse. The "Can Opener Bridge" - 11 ft. 8 in. clearance when expecting the standard 14 ft. gov. recommendation
At 11 foot 8 inches, the Norfolk Southern–Gregson Street Overpass, located in Durham, North Carolina, United States, is a bit too short. The federal government recommends that bridges on public roads should have a clearance of at least 14 feet. But when this railroad trestle was built in the 1940s, there were no standards for minimum clearance. As a result, trucks would frequently hit the bridge and get its roof scrapped off.
Durhan resident Jürgen Henn has been witnessing these crashes for years from across the street where he worked. Wishing to share these hilarious mishaps with the rest of the world, Henn set up a video camera in April 2008 and began recording them for his ever popular website 11foot8.com
As Jürgen Henn explains in his website, the bridge cannot be raised because doing so would require the tracks to be raised for several miles to adjust the incline. North Carolina Railroad doesn’t want to pay for the enormous expense it would entail. The bridge cannot be lowered either because there is a major sewer line running only four feet under the street. --
btw: I am glad I reside in California because the state government and businesses (even if being pulled against their will) are resolving outdated roads and bridges. In Long Beach area, there used to be train overpasses that were too low or train tracks that ran across busy roadways. The state had spent money and modernized the train tracks and roads by having bridges built much higher so traffic could drive around without interference and trucks were able to securely travel under overpasses without having to worry about top of truck trailer being torn off. Granted the construction was a temporary inconvenience, but it was worth the costs involved even if it meant gasoline station tax increase along with Proposition M from a few years ago passing.
>Ain't nothing new, keeps on walking without even turning around.
I wouldn't be surprised if some folks there hung around and placed gambling bets of what will be the time of when next trailer truck makes contact with the overpass.
This kind of thing must be why insurance on rental trucks has become popular. I haven't gotten it, but I haven't been anywhere with short-ass bridges. On that note, I think raising the tracks wouldn't be that costly, but I have the feeling for trains today pretty much anything is
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when 11 ft. 8 in. does not cut it these days
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