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Is it September already?
By Kaz on Thu, 04/30/2009 - 4:15pm
Haven't found a link just yet, but right outside of my office, an 18-wheeler lodged itself under the pedestrian bridge just west of BU Bridge on Memorial Drive. It seems that he was heading from the Allston-Brighton tolls to Microcenter and inexplicably missed the left turn into their parking lot, missed the warning signs for low height at the Shell station, and ended up 70% of the way under the pedestrian bridge before coming to a complete stop.
EDIT: Channel 5 has more details and video/pictures. Thanks, J258.
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Comments
Double fail!
Sheesh, don't they know they're supposed to sardine-can on the other side of the river?
Ch 5
Ch 5 has a blurb on it: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/19334270/deta...
Not again!
The state just finished repairing this bridge from the last time a truck driver did this, a year or so ago.
Jesus fucking Christ
Come the fuck on, DCR. 20' x 20' big orange signs. Make it happen.
Yeah, but seriously. Driver
Yeah, but seriously. Driver knows how tall the rig is (it's posted on the dashboard or visor) And why keep going after starting to scrape?
There's a point at which the commonwealth has done all it reasonably can. Drivers like this should have their license revoked.
Instead of more signs that the truckers will ignore anyway,
how about placing a large reinforced concrete beam (say 6' X 6' square) mounted over the road 10 or 20 feet in front of the pedestrian bridge. Install the beam so it sits at or slightly above the standard tractor-trailer windshield height and paint large retro-reflective letters on it reading "CLEARANCE 6 FEET - WE MEAN IT".
If the trucker ignores the warning, the concrete beam stops the truck before it can hit the pedestrian bridge.
Even better:
A laser beam positioned about 30 feet in front of the bridge in question. The beam stretches across the roadway at the correct clearance; if the beam is broken by an oversized truck, a giant trap door opens on the roadway, swallowing up the truck into a giant pit. Which is preferably filled with angry monsters.
Crisis averted!
Up the power
A more powerful laser could reduce trucks to a permissible height.
Photo
Larger here.
I wonder - did the truck
dislodge the low clearance sign on the footbridge, or was it already broken.
Already dislodged, maybe by a previous accident?
Check out the Google Street View.
Thanks.
Thanks Ron.
WHDH just making stuff up now
WHDH has it all turned around with their description of driver who missed a turn-off at the BU Bridge. The Channel 5 pictures (and my own eyes and ears) prove otherwise. The driver hit the bridge from the eastbound lanes, so he was almost upon the BU Bridge roundabout, not coming from it.
DCR Traffic Advisory press release
I just got this:
TRAFFIC ADVISORY
For immediate release
April 30, 2009
Contact: Anne Roach 617-626-1458
TRUCK LODGED UNDER PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE ON MEMORIAL DRIVE
One lane closed in each direction
WHAT: Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) crews will be removing a truck cab that is lodged under the Magazine Beach pedestrian bridge. One lane of Memorial Drive is closed in each direction near the bridge.
WHEN: Thursday night April 30 Until further notice
WHERE: Memorial Drive Near Magazine Beach pedestrian bridge
Cambridge
Driving While Imbecile - Penalty: Citation and Costs
It is not enough that the driver will be cited and have to pay a fine. If the Commonwealth does not do so already (I have to believe that it does) it should recover all expenses incurred (bridge inspection, possibly repair), right down to having to have the DCR truck and, almost certainly, state police ($$$!)there for traffic control. Numbskull.
I don't know about DCR, but MassHighway has
a program called Accident Recovery that does just that - to recoup the costs associated when a vehicle crashes into something like guardrail, large overhead or roadside mounted traffic signs, or overhead bridges.
Also, the citations will count against the trucker's commercial drivers license (thus possibly affecting future renewal of said license) and the record of this crash will become part of the trucker's permanent driving record. And, unless the driver is an independent owner-operator, it's highly likely he no longer has a job, and will probably find it difficult to get another one driving large trucks in the near future.
Good picture
Epic fail.
He seemed lost
I was driving next to him around 1:40pm as he came over the River St. bridge into Cambridge (presumably from the Pike). He rolled down his window and asked another driver, "Is this Memorial Drive?" The driver said "Yes" and then the truck turned right onto Mem drive. I was tempted to yell "You can't drive a tractor-trailer on that road you dumbass!" but traffic started moving so I forgot about him... until I saw the story online.
The kicker for me
If he's supposed to be delivering to MicroCenter, how could you POSSIBLY miss that coming from the west? It's not like there's anything on the right side of the road to distract you.
Photos from the other side
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XlQq2O0Ip_aZbHBFX9_Zsw?authkey=Gv1s...
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ioJpu2UI3EKpgBin4mnmHg?authkey=Gv1s...
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ywqKRkq0Txi63tqnU3ernw?authkey=Gv1s...