What Happens When a Big Truck Goes Under a Small Bridge in NJ?

What happens when a really big truck tries to go under a really tiny bridge?

The bridge wins.

Every time.

Tuesday morning, the railroad bridge over Fleming Pike in Winslow Township, Camden County, claimed another victim.

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This time, a full-sized 18-wheeler attempted to fit under the bridge and it obviously didn't succeed.

The bridge, with a posted clearance of 11' 6", carries the New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Rail Line over the roadway.

The average height of an 18-wheeler is 13' 6".

And therein lies the problem.

7th truck this year

Trucks hit this bridge so often that someone recently created a Facebook group to document all of the crashes.

By their accounts, this is the 7th truck to get crushed this year. Another big truck was torn apart earlier this month. Another at the end of June. Several box trucks have also been demolished since January.

Are there signs?

Yes. Several of them. There's this sign.

And this sign.

And another one.

With that bridge being so narrow and so short, one would think that anyone driving a large vehicle would naturally stop and second-guess going under it.

Apparently not.

Now, I suppose more could be done on the bridge itself. Perhaps posting a clearance sign on the overpass itself, putting up giant yellow reflectors, rumble strips, or even an electronic height detection sign would help matters.

Why all of the crashes?

Fleming Pike runs from the area of Exit 33 of the Atlantic City Expressway, over Route 73, crosses Egg Harbor Road (between Hammonton and Berlin), and then to the White Horse Pike. Truckers that want to get between those major roads sometimes use Fleming Pike -- unsuccessfully.