GLENVILLE – Auto recovery crews worked a few hours Wednesday afternoon removing a tractor-trailer from Glenridge Road after it became the latest truck to strike the bridge.
The driver of the truck was not injured, but the semi’s trailer was mostly destroyed.
Glenville police and Canadian Pacific Railway Police responded to the scene just after 2 p.m. CP Railway owns the bridge.

CP Railway Police Officer Mike Tracy said the bridge was shut down to trains until the company could get someone to inspect it to make sure it was structurally sound.

Photos: Glenridge Road bridge strike Glenville 4/13/22 (9 Photos)

The top of the trailer was peeled completely off by the strike, leaving the trailer bent in the middle. The back doors of the truck were barely hanging on.

The truck was marked J.B. Hunt and was carrying products from Ace Hardware, said the driver, who declined to provide his name.

Police identified the man as 29-year-old Essa Sisoko of Ohio. He was issued a ticket for failing to obey the overhead clearance sign.

One piece of the trailer roof remained stuck to the bridge, just under the last sign announcing the bridge’s height, 10 feet, 11 inches.

The driver said he had turned off of Route 146, following the GPS directions in his truck.
“The truck GPS did not show anything ahead,” he said.

Top piece is really stuck. Attempt 2 to remove it under way https://t.co/6wRsVZ9kqi
— Shenandoah Briere (@SB_DailyGazette) April 13, 2022

He said there was also no noticeable sign to warn him of the bridge.
However, town officials have said there are a total of 14 signs prior to the bridge to warn drivers.
He became distracted when he took a call from his doctor via bluetooth and did not realize the mistake he had made until he was already under the bridge.
“I could feel something bad happen,” he said.

They had to cut parts of the semi that hit the Glenridge Road Bridge this afternoon and remove the products inside before towing it. ⁦@dgazette⁩ pic.twitter.com/jfgY9ThS60
— Shenandoah Briere (@SB_DailyGazette) April 13, 2022

If it wasn’t for a smaller load the truck would’ve gotten stuck, he said.
He said he has been driving trucks for two years and on this journey, he was on his way to Ohio.
“I’m out of a job now,” he said.

Workers had to cut up parts of the truck to tow it away. They also had to remove all the products inside. Those products, like pressure cookers, hand saws and drills will be stored by AC Towing until the insurance company collects them, said Karen Caprara with AC Towing. The road was expected to be shut down for several hours as a result. ACs Towing and Recovery and Liggett’s Auto & Towing conducted the removal.

The state Department of Transportation just last month presented the latest plan to mitigate strikes at the Glenville bridge.

The plan calls for a turnaround ahead of the bridge in the westbound direction to be installed this year, and an overheight vehicle detection system for 2023.

Photos: Glenridge Road bridge strike Glenville 4/13/22 (9 Photos)

DOT officials presented the schedule and concept to the Glenville town board after years of calls by town and state officials, as well as residents, for something to be done to keep trucks from hitting the bridge, which only has a clearance height of 10 feet 11 inches.
But scenes such as Wednesday’s have become almost commonplace at the bridge. More than 100 vehicles have crashed into the bridge in recent years, including a semi in January, just 17 days into the new year.

“It’s shocking that we suffer another bridge strike; one of the worst I’ve seen,” Glenville Supervisor Chris Koetzle said Wednesday afternoon. “Again, thankfully nobody was hurt, but this is a stark reminder that we need to proceed with the deployment of DOT’s proposed solutions immediately.”

The driver said more signs closer to the bridge need to be put in place so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.

It’s kinda surprising that Goggle Maps can warn you of traffic delays, and speed traps, but can’t seem to warn about bridges that might be problematic for trucks, many that have been there for many decades. He may not have been going by GM, but whatever he’s using for guidance.

source