A truck, a duck and a bridge!!!!

[Stock]

Someone got a big bill comming in the post.............
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-37204050

[Muz]

When I saw the item on the news, I rewound the story to see the rig cleared the gantry before the foot bridge ok. Because all motorway bridges are above 15'6" they are unmarked... but I assume the foot bridge was lower than this at its very inside edge, and because the plant transporter was in fact running on the hard shoulder due to congestion , it made contact. During the planning or construction of the footbridge, it would have been way before opening up the hard shoulder was ever considered.. .. I wonder how many other bridges fall into this category ? .... well thats my theory anyway ...

[v8druid]

looking at this pic I'd be surprised if, as you say Muz, that bridge wasn't found to be 'marginal' ..... at the very least .... there's been no mention of arrests either ..... could prove to be a can of worms that'll see a lot of bridges getting measured up over the 'shoulder .... in a 'kn tearing hurry

[Muz]

I dont think its a case where the driver should be worried about his P45 .. just a classic British up ..... as long as his load was under the M-way limits ofcourse before he set off ... but like I mention .. there was a gantry just meters before the pedestrian bridge which he got under without a problem

[Muz]

Lucky truck driver just after him though ..... bridge came down on his sleeper cab as he went under .. hope the Bike lad is ok too

[v8druid]

Lucky truck driver just after him though ..... bridge came down on his sleeper cab as he went under .. hope the Bike lad is ok too

Biker had broken ribs apparently from laying it down
an all round very lucky scenario

[Muz]

I'm surprised theres not more damage to the digger ? .. whacking a bridge at speed would surely have bent the dipper rod if nothing else ? .. and you dont really see any 'strike' marks on the bridge section either ? ... the inside edge looks pretty rotten too .. maybe the section is the other way about ofcourse

[AndrewMawson]

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I'm surprised theres not more damage to the digger ? .. whacking a bridge at speed would surely have bent the dipper rod if nothing else ? .. and you dont really see any 'strike' marks on the bridge section either ? ... the inside edge looks pretty rotten too .. maybe the section is the other way about ofcourse

i understand that the transport company is saying on its Facebook page that the truck tracker recorded his speed as 21 mph, and that the police measured his height as 16'6". Apparently he had pulled onto the hard shoulder to check his tyres, and was accelerating to pull back into lane 1. He had been loaded at roadworks a bit further back down the M20 and had gone under several bridges and gantries without incident.

[Muz]

i understand that the transport company is saying on its Facebook page that the truck tracker recorded his speed as 21 mph, and that the police measured his height as 16'6". Apparently he had pulled onto the hard shoulder to check his tyres, and was accelerating to pull back into lane 1. He had been loaded at roadworks a bit further back down the M20 and had gone under several bridges and gantries without incident.

Well .. back at the driver then.. if you gonna load a 16'6 load and know about it .. you get whats coming ... wonder how they knew that though unless the driver told them ? In fairness most Mway bridges be over that .

We had a case in Renfrew on the M8 in Glasgow where a foot bridge was struck by several vehicles over the years .. eventually it got lifted


http://www.transport.gov.scot/projec...ge-replacement