Another Bridge Wreaks Havoc on the ATL

[Tight Lines]

I'm sure I'll get the "I don't care" stuff because it is the ATL but traffic is absolutely snarled here. Buses are late, kids can't get to and from school and football practice, baby sitting etc. because some truck hit the bridge and they are working on it...

It's a mess...this city just does not understand the concept of alternative arteries...

Most every city I've ever lived in had alternatives to blocked roads...here we just sit.

Truck crashes into bridge on I-285 in Sandy Springs snarling traffic

Officials are asking motorists to avoid Interstate 285 westbound around the top end of The Perimeter and the Mount Vernon Highway bridge is close after a tractor-trailer struck the structure.

www.fox5atlanta.com

 

[Crakajak]

Don,t know how long you have lived in the Atl,but the DOT planners were 10 years late on finishing 285 before they even started.It hasn,t gotten any better.

 

[Tight Lines]

Don,t know how long you have lived in the Atl,but the DOT planners were 10 years late on finishing 285 before they even started.It hasn,t gotten any better.

26 years in August...and I agree. The ATL is two decades behind on infrastructure...

 

[Core Lokt]

You would think the hauling CO would know the height limits. 13'6" or so isn't it?

 

[Tight Lines]

You would think the hauling CO would know the height limits. 13'6" or so isn't it?

You'd think...I think he actually side swiped a column but I'm not 100% sure...was probably watching TikTok...

 

[oldfella1962]

You would think the hauling CO would know the height limits. 13'6" or so isn't it?

That's what I am trying to ascertain: was the truck too tall, or was that not even a factor in the wreck? Here in Augusta there is a railroad bridge that is just a bit too low, and a couple of times a year a big-rig gets stuck under it or otherwise damages the bridge. I'm not an expert on roads & bridges, but since raising the railroad bridge is probably not an option, can we just lower the roadway? Make it a gradual slope about 100 yards out from the bridge in both directions. BTW the height is marked, but the sign is so small by the time a truck driver sees it, it's too late.

 

[Ruger#3]

For years Griffin had a low bridge in the downtown area. The roads folks put a sign up short of the bridge, ”If you hit this sign you will hit the bridge ahead.” The sign had some wear marks.

 

[Toliver]

Signs don't matter. The covered bridge in Cobb gets hit constantly and there are no less than 7 signs telling larger vehicles to not go that way. They finally put up a break away steel barrier a few years ago. They hit it and damage their vehicles instead of hitting and damaging the historical bridge. But their GPS says go that way so they have no choice despite all the signs.

 

[Gadestroyer74]

I’m a heavy haul driver. This is what I do every day for a living. The driver did not load the machine correctly. In the fox 5 video you can see he is hauling a hitachi excavator. You are suppose to have the boom arm pulled all the way in bucket curled up lowered to the deck. On the boom arm and knuckle of the bucket. The driver has the boom arm vertical resting on the bottom part of the bucket. This makes the load around 15 to 17 feet high. Most bridges on the interstate are around 15 to 16 depending on the area. It is clearly the driver didn’t have much experience hauling heavy equipment. You never load an excavator of this size like that. That machine weights about 70,000 pounds. His total vehicle weighed around 115 to 125,000 gross weight.. he clearly is in a lot for trouble. He also should have a single trip oversize permit.. due to the height of that machine he was not permitted for that and it voided what permit he had, if he had one, Making him about 30 to 45 thousand pounds over weight. Over height and over width.. he is going to have some serious fines. Way over 2 or 3 thousand dollars plus damages to the bridge… you can bet the DOT went over him with a fine tooth comb.. I would bet he didn’t have proper securement either..

 

[Batjack]

Signs don't matter. The covered bridge in Cobb gets hit constantly and there are no less than 7 signs telling larger vehicles to not go that way. They finally put up a break away steel barrier a few years ago. They hit it and damage their vehicles instead of hitting and damaging the historical bridge. But their GPS says go that way so they have no choice despite all the signs.

They been beat'n up that bridge long before GPS came out.. some folks just stoopid. Don't forget the "just wide enough for a VW Beetle" pass through under the trestle on Cooper Lake Rd. Every time I go down EWC I just have to look and there's always a concrete truck stuck in there.

 

[Redbow]

We had a bridge in Florence SC that was low, our trains passed over that bridge and still do today. Big trucks often got stuck under that bridge even though signs were present warning of the danger ahead with the low bridge. One time a truck got stuck when the trailer was just a bit too high for crossing under the bridge safely. The truck couldn't move and the police and the fire department people were there trying to figure out how to get the truck moving again. A small boy not more than 12 years old or so finally spoke up and told a policeman that getting the truck unstuck was easy. One of the cops looked at the boy and said, well if its so easy would you please tell us how to do it. The little boy answered, just let a bit of the air out of the truck tires and you are good to go. It worked.

 

[Meriwether Mike]

I hope the trucker had an umbrella policy. This will hit the limit I am sure.

 

[oldfella1962]

Signs don't matter. The covered bridge in Cobb gets hit constantly and there are no less than 7 signs telling larger vehicles to not go that way. They finally put up a break away steel barrier a few years ago. They hit it and damage their vehicles instead of hitting and damaging the historical bridge. But their GPS says go that way so they have no choice despite all the signs.

Maybe the GPS issues are the problem with the Olive Street bridge here in Augusta. I don't use or have ever had a GPS so I don't know enough about them to even speculate.

 

[Deerhead]

They proved it does not take months/years to repair a bridge. I-85 bridge repair proved that.

Again the outer perimeter should have been built.

 

[Ruger#3]

They proved it does not take months/years to repair a bridge. I-85 bridge repair proved that.

Again the outer perimeter should have been built.

In about 5 years a quarter of the outer perimeter will be built. A 4 lane Hwy 20 from Cumming to Rome. It will not be limited access, but is intended to route trucks traveling between 75 and 85 off of 285.

 

[Deerhead]

In about 5 years a quarter of the outer perimeter will be built. A 4 lane Hwy 20 from Cumming to Rome. It will not be limited access, but is intended to route trucks traveling between 75 and 85 off of

That's great. But it needs to be limited access to reduce congestion. Don't think its possible now with all the construction along Hwy 20

 

[specialk]

For years Griffin had a low bridge in the downtown area. The roads folks put a sign up short of the bridge, ”If you hit this sign you will hit the bridge ahead.” The sign had some wear marks.

one in fairburn, a train trussel overhead, hwy 92 headed toward fayetteville.....things been hit more times than joe louis!

 

[Gadestroyer74]

Has nothing to do with GPS. Most local people in ga have blanket permits. It’s an annual fee you pay once a year. It covers the truck and load its hauling to 14 feet high 12 feet wide and 100,000 gross weight. You can go your on route under those limits mentioned above. It is up to the driver to make sure you can go the route you choose. When you exceed those ( as this driver had) you have to call and order and single trip permit. They ask the dimensions of the load and weight. Where the machine or load is located and where it’s going. They issue you a permit for a move. They give you a route your suppose to follow. If you are off that route it voids your permit… this is lack of experience knowledge of dot rules and and inexperienced driver. He learnt a hard lesson on this. A very costly one at that. Nothing more to it than what I posted.
May have been one them camel jockeys ……

 

[BassRaider]

In Jax in '66, my stepdad had a refrigerated box truck for his business. One day my Uncle Bob and friend borrowed it (why?) and hit a low bridge overpass, also while drinking. His friend went thru the windshield and the rear of the truck was jack up. Looked like a dump truck emptying a load. Pretty much ended our private schools, lost our house, lost his business, and we wound up moving to ATL. for work. Before we moved, we learned what govt p-butter and cheese tasted like.

 

[Waddams]

I'd thought the driver somehow swerved off the road and hit a column? Makes sense if the excavator was loaded wrong though. There are a lot of old bridges that have clearance that was good enough when they were built but trucks and loads are taller so the bridges don't meet current FHWA heights anymore.

I was slightly involved with the 85 bridge rebuild (I'd done work near there before and got to pull out records for the reconstruction team's use). I also was part of the team that rebuilt the bridge on Cheshire Bridge that was damaged when a homeless camp under it went up in a big fire and damaged the bridge.

Atlanta is just having a horrible time with bridges - and it's always some idiotic negligence causing it. I keep struggling with stay here or move - I get well paid to be here, it would be a pay cut to move away, but what's it worth? Probably after my son graduates college in 3-4 years, I'll be really looking to reconsider.