They Painted the Bridge Bright Green and added about 50 signs

[hollowpointred]

The signs don’t help if drivers can’t read them.




Nearly two months after the installation of signs meant to keep trucks from getting stuck at the Sillyman Street railroad bridge, a Chinese food delivery truck — driven by a man who doesn’t speak English — got stuck under the bridge at about 3:20 p.m. Monday.

“They don’t understand English too well and couldn’t read the signs,” Kevin Connors, first assistant engineer with Cressona Fire Company, said at the scene. “Smash.”

Trooper Dave Beam, of state police at Schuylkill Haven, said the truck was traveling on Route 183 from Discount Markets, Reading, and delivering Chinese food to several local restaurants.

In early April, PennDOT crews began installing about 50 signs warning trucks over 11 feet 8 inches to stay out, following more than 40 similar accidents since 2006.

The Discount Markets truck, driven by Chao Jiang, became at least the fourth this year to get stuck.

Beam said Jiang has a New York driver’s license, but spoke poor English.

His passenger, who police did not name, was slightly more fluent.

“The one guy isn’t too bad, but the other one, he can’t even understand what you’re saying,” Beam said. “I had to ask him five times to let the air out of his back tires. They speak Chinese.”

At about 3:45 p.m., Jiang was letting the air out of each of the truck’s tires, hoping to bring it down a few inches.

Other state troopers on scene said they were dealing with hundreds of vehicles forced onto detours because of the crash.

“It’s Memorial Day. We need to get this road open,” one trooper said at the scene, adding he diverted “probably 200” cars in the first 20 minutes after the crash because of heavy holiday traffic.

By about 4 p.m., police said the truck had been freed and Route 183 was back open to traffic.

Following a February public meeting concerning the bridge and its penchant for stuck trucks, PennDOT officials chose four options to keep truckers from being jammed under the bridge, including re-signing the area.

http://www.republicanherald.com/art...20080527.a.pg1.pr27bridge_s1.1707269_top2.txt

cant speak english but has a valid New York drivers license. only in america.

 

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[jeff of pa]

Correct me if I'm wrong but he also has a CDL
to legally drive that truck Also.

I wonder if they will now put up 50 Bilingual signs.

Maybe just put up large Pictures of the trucks
And a Pick of somone Pointing & Laughing will work

 

[dingode]

I believe I know right where that bridge is. My wife's Grandparents live close by in Minersville and the other in Llewellyn, or right close anyway. I'll be over in there visiting around July 4th.

Erin

 

[Old Dog]

Erin,

just make sure you aren't too tall for the bridge.

LOL
Thom

 

[Vrent]

They hit bridges everyday all over the country...the three examples of the big trucks, a Swift, a USA and a Crete, these companies are not known to have the best drivers, neither are Werner , Schiender, or JBHunt. Most likely they were newbies, right out of their 2 week school and 1 month training run.. The little truck, language could have been a problem or being from NY could be a problem. NY posts all it's bridge height signs 1 foot lower than actual, so a 12'8" bridge is really 13'8". but you want to have fun take a big truck and drive across Philly, or Chicago. It can be done, but it takes forever.

They should have one of the local yocals sit there for a couple of weeks and hand out tickets, before they hit the bridge, the word will get around.

there is a bridge in Illinois they put flashing warning lights on and as they finished installing them and turning them on a truck hit it.

 

[ivan salis]

a crete driver just got 7 years jail time for killing seven kids in a car accident here in florida awhile back ( only because he agreed to talk to folks about cretes policies and practices) --- he caused by ramming into a stopped car behind a school bus making it burst into flames -=-- after he was awake and driving for over 32 hours ( it was a teenaged girl and all the familys kids coming home from school in the car -- in effect it wiped out all the kids of the family -- plus the grandpa had a heart attack and died when he heard that all 7 of his grandkids were dead.) -- the town was archer I think.

 

[MD Dog]

Seems to me Jeff, your missing a golden opportunity here. Back in the olden days, even afore I was born, There were entire communities that sprung up in very unusual locations. It wasn't the environment that was most usually assosiated with a good site for people to congregate. Instead it was because of a low lying reef just off shore that when the people of the villages saw a ship they would use many different techniques to draw the ship ino the reef. Once the ship was aground or had actually struck the reef Wave and tide conspired to break the ship up. The residents could simply wait for the next tide to bring in the booty from the forelorn ship. SO maybe you should be creating your own creative signs leading to these trucks demises on that brige underpass. Then stand by and wait to collect your prizes. It could be fun, turn it into a community event.

 

[boogeyman]

On the bright side.

Whew!, at least none of em were talking on their cell phones at the time of their accidents!

 

[sniffer]

officer, I got tired of driving around the bridge, so, I figured I would squeeze under LOL

 

[jeff of pa]

In April 2008, the state Department of Transportation spent $12,000 to put up 132 road signs in Cressona and leading up to the borough. They all lead up to the span.

At 12:10 p.m. Jan. 15, 2009 Guy J. Cordaro, 32, of 5999 Pine Dale Court, Harrisburg, was driving the 2007 GMC C7500 model truck owned by Penske, Reading, when he failed to notice posted height restriction signs for the low bridge on Route 183, according to state police at Schuylkill Haven.

now

CRESSONA — The state wants to give truckers who don’t read bridge clearance signs in the borough a headache.

http://www.republicanherald.com/art...20090130.a.pg1.pr30bridge_s1.2267685_top2.txt

Think it will Work ? I Don't

 

[boogeyman]

Just had a thought! Instead of spending a ton of money for signs and repairs on the bridge..... Why don't they station a cop by the bridge with some spike strips? Cop sees truck coming, spikes him, tires go flat, truck looses betweem 2 to 7", bridge spared damage. Cite the driver & before long the state will make the money spent on signs back

 

[jeff of pa]

Just had a thought! Instead of spending a ton of money for signs and repairs on the bridge..... Why don't they station a cop by the bridge with some spike strips? Cop sees truck coming, spikes him, tires go flat, truck looses betweem 2 to 7", bridge spared damage. Cite the driver & before long the state will make the money spent on signs back

Sounds like that would work

 

[savant365]

Why don't they just dig out the road fix the problem once and for all. I know the cost would be higher then road signs and headache bars but it would fix the problem permanantly. Just seems like common sense to me It would be too difficult to make the bridge higher but they could lower the road. They could probably even get the railroad to help with the cost because they would save money in the long run by not having to repair the bridge after trucks hit it. I don't know what they have to do after one of the "accidents" but I am sure they spend a bundle in repairing and inspecting this bridge for damage.

 

[jeff of pa]

Some people Just ain't Satisfied

Stuck for answers? Alternate route for big trucks in Cressona poses problem

CRESSONA — Georgia Berger stands at the kitchen table in her quiet house on Wilder Street — quiet except when a tractor-trailer blasts by within 3 feet of her window, momentarily casting the house into a shadow.

“I live on the Indianapolis Speedway,” Berger said.

New signs have cut down on truck crashes in the borough by directing big vehicles away from the 11-foot, 8-inch clearance at the Sillyman Street railroad bridge, but locals say the alternate truck route causes a new set of problems by overwhelming the borough’s narrow streets.

“There’s just so much truck traffic,” borough council President James Johns said. “The road was never designed for anything. I don’t know if it will ever pass standards as a regular truck route.”

I would Consider this Small town Entertainment.
& Up the Speed Limit.

http://www.republicanherald.com/art...090216.a.pg1.pr16guiderail_s1.2300381_loc.txt