NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — It’s a problem as old as trucks and bridges themselves, and in Niagara Falls, it’s not getting any better.
State police in Niagara Falls and Grand Island have seen a continuing issue over the past decade where tractor trailers continue to strike the North Grand Island bridge, requiring the Niagara Scenic Parkway to be shut down and compromising the structural integrity of the bridge.
The latest occurrence happened Monday of last week around 12:30 p.m. New York State Police and New York State Thruway Authority officials were on scene after a truck failed to clear the underpass and collided with the bridge, causing extensive damage to the trailer. The road was closed for several hours, but no one was injured.
“Unfortunately, it's very common,” Trooper James O’Callaghan with the New York State Police said. “We typically get a call once every about two weeks, maybe three weeks.
“You're talking a $10,000 to $25,000 tow fee to clean that up and remove that vehicle.”
O’Callaghan said he’s witnessed many of these scenes in his time. The same bridge has been struck 31 times in the past 10 years, according to Governor Kathy Hochul’s office.
The repeated incidents prompted the state to invest nearly $2 million in a new collision warning system at the bridge, which uses infrared technology to detect when a vehicle has exited onto the road that will exceed the bridge’s 12-foot clearance.
“A red light will go on at the point of no return,” O’Callaghan said. “That's the last ditch effort before they actually strike the bridge.”
But since its installation in May, there has been at least one collision in each of the three months, including one just 10 days after the project’s completion. O’Callaghan said he gets calls almost every day for vehicles that adhere to the warning signs and pull over but are then stuck on the road and cannot pass under the bridge.
For that reason, authorities consider the system a success but are urging drivers to be more cautious — and not just truck drivers but those in buses and RVs, too.
“You really just have to pay attention,” O’Callaghan said. “You can't follow that GPS to a letter. You have to know what height your vehicle is. And you have to pay attention to the signage. And that's really what this whole thing comes down”
Related Video: