A railroad bridge in the Schenectady County Town of Glenville has had another run-in with a truck. Officials are renewing calls forsomething to be done to prevent further collisions.
When driving out of the Town of Glenville, past the traffic circle, and up Glenridge Road toward Clifton Park, you’ll see it – a railroad bridge with a clearance of 10 feet 11 inches.
Although the height of the bridge is clearly marked by signage, you may also notice scapes or a bent sign. That’s because trucks passing underneath have struck the bridge more than 50 times over the years, including earlier this week.
Republican State Senator Jim Tedisco, who says he drives under the bridge daily, has seen trucks stuck under it three times.
“So we’ve got to do something. Either raise it, reduce the level of road below it, or maybe we need some kind of specialized signage there, but we can’t continue to keep having these accidents take place because we’re endangering the lives of people,” said Tedisco.
But that’s an issue. The road under the bridge can’t easily be lowered because of a nearby stream. The tracks above are owned by a private company, Canadian Pacific.
In 2013, the New York State Department of Transportation completed roadway improvement work along Glenridge Road. The traffic circle was completed and the underpass under the bridge, as well as another just up the road, was widened for vehicles to pass more easily. But the collisions continued.
Glenville Town Supervisor Chris Koetzle estimates that 56 strikes have cost the town about $50,000.
“But what we didn’t add in there was any need for over time which we know happens when these things occur and we were kind of just looking at just the strikes, not the 90 turnarounds that we had to go and assist,” said Koetzle.
Meaning, first responders are still utilized to control traffic when trucks must turn around on the narrow road.
Koetzle also has a theory that it could be GPS that is causing drivers to strike the bridge.
“So we do actually believe that a lot of it is GPS driven because it seems to be mostly the amateur driver…as much.”
That may be because professional driversoften use a commercial GPS system that warns of low bridges.
Koetzle and Tedisco have written to the state Department of Transportation requesting new signage to discourage trucks from passing beneath the bridge. They say it’s time for the state and the railway to fix the issue.
Bryan Viggiani, a spokesman for DOT, replied to a request for comment via email, saying:
“The safety of the traveling public is a top priority of the New York State Department of Transportation and we take the issue of bridge strikes very seriously. We will review the concerns raised by the senator and town supervisor.”
