Undefeated - The Toughest Bridge in the Country

[Jeebus]

This train trestle in Durham NC has stood its ground for the last 100 years.

This fact doesn't deter some drivers from challenging the bridge about once a month.

All footage courtesy of 11foot8.com

Clearance can be a real challenge for a truck driver. Especially inexperienced drivers of rental boxtrucks seem to be quite oblivious to the warning signs and flashing “overheight” warning lights at this railroad trestle in Durham, NC. So frequently do trucks crash into the 11-foot-8 clearance trestle, that the railroad company installed a crash beam in front of it. This massive steel I-beam bears the brunt of the impact, protecting the structure that supports this fairly busy railroad track. Believe it or not – they already had to replace the beam once!

In April 2008, I set up a camera in one of our offices at Brightleaf Square and started recording the traffic at the bridge. The idea was that eventually I’d record a crash. Just a few weeks later a truck crashed into the trestle and I had my first recording. In June 2009, I set up another camera in a storefront across the street, and since then I have been recording the crashes from two angles (most of the time).

The videos of these crashes document the severity of the impact, and they show how frequently these crashes produce a real hazard for pedestrians and other vehicles.

[Baltimatt]

Wow.

There's the St. Lo Drive CSX overpass in Baltimore which is also pretty low.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=St+Lo...52.89,,1,-5.79

Notice how the foliage obscures the sign at the bridge warning how low it is.

Another sign ahead of the bridge:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=St+Lo...,,2,-2.21&z=16

I take it the bridge is 11'6", but it's hard to tell from the signage. Fortunately, it's not a busy street.

[Baltimatt]

Looks like the same bridge

wenn ich das richtig sehe ^^ - ist das im land der unbegrenzten möglichkeiten =)
blöd, dass die grenze hier bei 2,95 liegt und die "pisa-verweigerer" ihre analphabeten ans steuer lassen.

if i see that correctly ^^ - that is in the land of unlimited opportunity =)

silly, that the limit here is 2.95 [meters] and the "pisa-deniers" let their illiterates behind the wheel.

I take it some German guy is making fun of the United States. I take it there are bridges with 2.95 clearance (about 9'8"), but the PISA-deniers (I assume that is the Programme for International Student Assessment, in which the US does poorly) let illiterates drive.

Another commenter relates watching a 2.5m Sprinter drive into a 2.0 clearance parking garage in Oberhausen, Germany.

[Eastside Terp]

they need to hang those chains 50 yards in front of it like they have at the tunnel......