Truck Roof Ripped Apart After Trying to Go Under This Westbrook, Maine, Bridge
Move over, Auburn Walmart pole. There's a new player in Maine that is taking out vehicles with drivers unaware of their surroundings.
You're probably very familiar with the infamous pole in the Walmart parking lot in Auburn. There have been dozens of cars that just can't seem to maneuver around the simple pole marking where the corner of the parking lane is. However, many people cut it too close and WHAM! They have a call to their insurance company to make.
Another structure has been doing even bigger damage to vehicles as they pass under it. Say hello to the Brown Street railroad bridge in Westbrook.
As you can see by the sign on the right side of the road, there's a sign indicating the clearance under this bridge is 11 feet, five inches. That doesn't stop vehicles from going under, but the bridge certainly stops them.
This Atlantic Transport System truck was opened like a tin can when it was too high to pass under.
According to WMTW 8, this was the third truck to lose its challenge with the railroad bridge in the past few months.
Some people have said that the bridge should be raised in height, but that can't be done easily. The tracks are active when deliveries and pickups need to be made at the nearby Sappi plant. The only way to improve the clearance is to lower the road, which is also quite the construction job.
One thing that could be considered is adding a detection system that would flash, warning drivers that they are above the clearance height as they approach. But as you can see in this famous bridge in Durham, North Carolina, that doesn't always work either.
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Gallery Credit: Kira Lew