Due for replacement, NJ Transit's Park Avenue bridge added another ding Friday when an oversize trailer hit it.
Click images to enlarge.
The trailer was plainly marked as being two feet higher than the posted clearance. The driver could be overheard telling onlookers it was his first day on the job. The consensus was that it was probably also his last.
Debris littered Park Avenue, scattered by high winds. Traffic had to be diverted.
The trailer buckled from the impact.
Aluminum pieces attracted the interest of one onlooker, who wished he could collect and sell it for scrap.
Someone asked what was in the trailer. The hapless driver thought it might be eggs, which caused talk of free breakfast among the crowd. One guy wished it was steak instead.
Both the Park Avenue and Watchung Avenue bridges suffer hits like this every year. Instead of looking at the clearance, the driver told spectators he relied on verbal advice.take Park Avenue north from a South Plainfield depot.
The driver took a few photos with his phone. How should he caption these photos?
--Bernice
Great minds think alike. I also labeled this FAIL on my FB page photos of it (before reading yours). One witness told me he was driving fast, most likely above the speed limit, going through there.
ReplyDeleteI thought about posting on Facebook but I don't like the way Facebook uses comments as the text that is displayed, instead of what I wrote.
DeleteUnfortunately the laws for signage are NOT always followed at all bridges in NJ. There is suppose to be a warning sign so that the driver may turn off a block BEFORE the bridge thereby not requiring difficult U-Turns that are often seen downtown. The City was has been sued and LOST more than once because of this.
ReplyDelete