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Speaking of Clearances ?


hdonlybob

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This sort of thing is rather common. An optical illusion that is deceiving. If the picture was taken even with the roof of the truck you would see at least 6 " clearance up there, which is plenty. Usually have warning lasers and lights in a newer tunnel like that.

 

You want to have some excitement? Take the Cross Bronx Expressway in NYC (I-95) southbound under the apartments approaching the GW Bridge. Dark, lots of old steel and concrete sticking out, and well after it is too late to do anything about it you will see several signs that say 12'6". And you are motoring through there, as everyone else is with 13'6" equipment, bouncing up and down 3 inches because of the rough road.

NY state has this arcane requirement to post everything 12" lower than actual. But even if you add the 12" you are right at 13'6". No normal truck hits. I have seen flatbed loads not properly measured scrape and leave miles of sparks.

Long ago I figured out how to avoid problems. Follow someone else that is the same height. If he hits, you just stop before you do.

By the way, my Garmin Dezl truck GPS will route me right though it. My Rand McNally truck GPS won't.

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There's a train bridge over US50 1 mile east of the only Indiana exit on I-275 around Cincy. It's marked 13'6" on both sides, but is really 13'8" at the lowest point. We have to go around, or fold, with some of our equipment. The underside of the bridge has some scrapes from over size loads, or loads that "bounced." When I transport the combine through there, I fold all bin extensions and drive s-l-o-w-l-y, so as to not bounce the floater tires.

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Jeff, my company that I drove for (UPS) even had on the directions they would give you going that way in NY to ignore the signs and keep going, boy was I nervous the first trip into Queens!!!!! That picture looks like the Harbor tunnel in Baltimore, I know the old tunnel there is lower, I saw one of oue sleeper teams having a nice conversation with a officer after going thru with a set of doubles in that one.

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We're quite paranoid and check routes quite carefully but still.

We won't go within 50 miles of Chicago and it's burbs, lots of low bridges in that area on freeways.

If it is on a freeway there are federal guidelines that must be followed. It states 14 feet in urban areas and 16 feet in rural areas.

 

Vertical clearance: Minimum vertical clearance under overhead structures (including over the paved shoulders) of 16 feet (4.9 m) in rural areas and 14 feet (4.3 m) in urban areas, with allowance for extra layers of pavement.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_standards

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You do realize that you're talking about Chicago....

Exactly, some time ago I found a listing of low clearance overpasses on FREEWAYS in the Chicago area and just decided there was nothing there for us, don't like their pizza anyway.

Don't be naïve, always check, also check the truckers atlas listings.

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