Stuck truck blocks traffic on Main Street in Dexter
This truck was a bit too tall to fit through the railroad underpass.
Photo courtesy of Rina Miller
A semi truck didn’t have quite enough room to make it through the railroad underpass on Main Street in Dexter Friday morning. It became stuck and blocked traffic for several minutes on the busy route.
Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputies responded to help clear the intersection. They let the air out of the tires and backed the truck up, said sheriff’s department spokesman Derrick Jackson.
The accident also caused some damage to the railroad bridge, Jackson said. Representatives of Norfolk Southern, which owns the tracks, were on the way to evaluate that, but it was not expected to affect train travel, Jackson said.
The truck got stuck about 9:30 a.m. It was not clear how long the underpass, on the main thoroughfare through Dexter, was blocked.
View Railroad underpass in a larger map
Comments
Jimmy McNulty
Sat, Mar 24, 2012 : 11:56 a.m.
I guess the huge sign saying "11FT 10IN" meant nothing when you're running a trailer that is 13FT 6IN.
toothless wonder
Fri, Mar 23, 2012 : 8:45 p.m.
I bet they could... repave that section of road under the RR underpass. Lower it by 4 inches, or the max that can be done. Then the trucks would have some leeway. Don't need to undermine the bridge, often its a matter of repaving, that'll fix the problem! = Not too expensive.
Major
Sat, Mar 24, 2012 : 4:48 a.m.
It still floods every time it rains heavy, then you get the usual car or two floating around in it.
justcurious
Sat, Mar 24, 2012 : 2:37 a.m.
Well you would also have to put in good drainage. In the old days it used to flood under there every time it rained hard. I think you would have to cut the road down a lot on either side of the bridge so that the lowered pavement under the bridge would not be an abrupt hole. But then you would end up with a really steep grade up the west side...
JustMyOpinion
Fri, Mar 23, 2012 : 8:36 p.m.
Maybe its time to fill it in and make a normal rail road crossing out of it.
justcurious
Sat, Mar 24, 2012 : 2:34 a.m.
Wrong!!
SMC
Fri, Mar 23, 2012 : 8:14 p.m.
Well, at least the driver now knows exactly how tall his truck is.
dexterreader
Fri, Mar 23, 2012 : 6:36 p.m.
Happens very frequently. Earlier this week there was a smaller "utility-type" truck who also didn't quite make it under, and had a crunched up corner on the top of his truck to prove it. I was kind of hoping it was one of the "unscrupulous" predators seeking to cash in on the tornado damage from residents, but I did not get close enough to see any names on the side of the vehicle. In any case, it was obviously someone who was not familiar with the bridge's height restrictions.
justcurious
Fri, Mar 23, 2012 : 4:08 p.m.
Main St. /Island Lake...same difference....This happens every once in a while. Sometimes semis get all the way down to the bridge while heading east and realize they can't make it. They end up backing up the hill. I hope not much damage was done to the bridge...it's historic.
Jeff Renner
Fri, Mar 23, 2012 : 3:42 p.m.
I think that the road under the RR overpass is Island Lake Road, not Main St., and Google Maps seems to support this.
Jeff Renner
Sat, Mar 24, 2012 : 12:07 a.m.
I was curious enough to check the street sign at the corner more or less in front of the A&W, and it is for Dexter-Chelsea Rd to the left and Dexter-Pinckney Rd. straight toward the underpass.