This railroad trestle bridge in Durham, North Carolina has claimed many a victim.
Through the years, officials have added flashing lights and big signs to warn drivers about the low 11’8″ clearance. Some drivers though just assume their vehicle will fit, no matter what the signs or lights may mean.
Jürgen Henn lives nearby the bridge, and for the last few years has recorded the near-monthly crashes on his YouTube channel. He maintains a website dedicated to the bridge called 11Foot8.
This train trestle is about 100 years old. At the time when it was built, there were no standards for minimum clearance. – Jürgen Henn
The video below shows one fifth wheel owner who didn’t take note of the low clearance warnings as he passed under the bridge at high speed.
Camper loses A/C going under one hundred year old railroad bridge.
httpv://youtu.be/9TkbwgZpb0U
Compared to the rest of the world, we have it pretty good in the US. As much as everyone hates regulations, our roads are well-marked and most bridges can accommodate large rigs and trailers.
This compilation video shows some of the best (worst?) crashes at the bridge over the last few years.
httpv://youtu.be/xzkWTcDZFH0
Original video by Peter Hemmings
Jürgen maintains a detailed FAQ page on his website. After seeing these crashes, you’ll probably wonder why anyone hasn’t raised the bridge or if the height warning is indeed accurate. Jürgen explains all that here.
it is up to ALL of us who own an RV to know certain things about our rigs; like how wide, how long, and ESPECIALLY how high; BEFORE we take to the road….hard to blame the rail road for the RV owner’s BRAIN FADE….
That’s a great point Jeff, will be interesting to see if it’s the local government or the rail company to buckle first.
Perhaps they haven’t raised the bridge because nobody else has offered to pay for it. Railroads are like that. When it’s not their fault, and they were there first, they’re very reluctant to pay to fix someone elses problem.
It would also mean grading a slope a fair ways out from the bridge.
Sounds like they need to dig out the street a couple feet.