IGNORING SIGNS CAN BRING HIGH OVERHEAD COSTS

DESPITE WARNINGS, TRUCKS STILL HIT BRIDGE

Author: By Peter Schworm, Globe staff correspondent Date: 05/02/2002

Page: 1 Section: Globe West

GLOBE WEST 3 / WESTBOROUGH

The first warning comes a third of a mile out, heading west down Route 30

into Westborough. It's a gentle caveat, as traffic signs go, easy to

overlook amid the commercial clutter. Up against such eye-catching outfits

as Love Those Nails and Necessities for Needlework, the humble "Low Bridge

Ahead" notice scarcely warrants a glance.

But just past Balloons over Westboro and the Plant Bazaar, the warnings

gain prominence and urgency. "Danger!" a sign cautions, informing drivers

in English and French, feet and meters, that a railroad bridge - a mere 12

1/2 feet high - looms just ahead. On the East Main Street bridge itself, a

century-old span of unyielding steel, hang two more signs, offering a last

chance for second thoughts.

At this point, plenty of truck drivers pause, bridge-watchers say, glancing

nervously at their trailer, the stone arch, and back again. Most decide

they can make it, cringing as the road inches upward, exhaling on the other

side. Some cautious types stop to deflate their tires, waving off an angry

chorus of horns, and a few think better of it altogether and reverse

fields.

But a good number of trucks - an average of one a month for the last few

years - barrel blithely onward to an ugly fate. Last year alone, 15

oversized trucks got stuck under the bridge, police say, many with their

roofs peeled back like the lid of a sardine can. There have been four

accidents already this year, none involving injuries.

"Sometimes the bridge just knocks the top a little; sometimes it rips off

the whole thing," said Brian Smith of nearby State Street Auto & Truck.

"Recently, it hasn't been as bad. The broken truck sign seems to have

gotten their attention."

Approaching the bridge from the east through the town rotary, truckers

encounter several signs, including a bilingual diamond-shaped one depicting

a truck bent in two. On the bridge hangs a large red-white-and-blue

rectangular sign that points to the low height with downward red arrows.

Over the years, officials have discussed more extreme measures, such as

warning lights or an overhanging bar designed to hit oversized trucks

before they reach the bridge, like those used at drive-through restaurants.

But in the end, Police Chief Glenn Parker said, there is ultimately only so

much the town can do to dissuade drivers.

"You're always going to have people who aren't paying attention or are in a

hurry and are going to give it a try. It makes you shake your head," he

said.

In Westborough, observers say, the railroad bridge has taken on a nearly

mythic status, serving as a time-tested conversation piece and a welcome

constant. Even in the rapidly changing western suburbs, people say, some

things stay the same.

"It's a problem that's never going to go away completely," Parker said.

Because the bridge accidents have never caused any injuries, the drivers'

stubbornness often draws as many chuckles as grumbles. Still, bridge

accidents are a major inconvenience, Parker says. Vehicles that are

particularly wedged can take hours to extricate, Parker said, and damaged

trucks' cargo must be transferred to other haulers. All the while, police

must reroute traffic off a busy thoroughfare, creating backups that are no

laughing matter.

"It always seems to happen at 8 in the morning, right during rush hour,"

said longtime resident Don Gillis. "It's a little funny sometimes, but it's

mostly frustrating. I feel very badly for the drivers, but I guess they

don't pay much attention, and some guys are just stupider than others."

Miscalculating drivers - typically out-of-towners who have lost their way -

generally want to be left alone with their anger and embarrassment,

observers say. But police offer one small consolation: You're not the

first, and you won't be the last.

"I always feel sorry for the guy, but we try not to get in the middle,"

Smith said.

Although hitting the bridge draws a mere $15 fine, police charge companies

for the cost of extra traffic details and towing. Insurance usually pays

the cost, Parker said.

Jim Harvey, the CEO of Westborough's E. L. Harvey & Sons, one of the

largest commercial trash haulers in the state, paid for the warning signs

and has lobbied the state Highway Department to install warning lights.

Although Harvey's trucks have never had an accident at the bridge, many

vehicles that have gotten stuck are hauling recyclables from his plant -

often to Quebec. A confusing Route 135 sign near the town rotary, Harvey

said, causes much of the problem.

"We tell them, `Don't go down Route 30,' but that sign makes them think

they are on 135," Harvey said. "Sometimes it's Canadians, but there've been

drivers from Maine, Michigan, all over. They think they are OK, but they're

in a strange town and they get disoriented."

Still, Harvey admits that drivers' continued obstinance or absentmindedness

is baffling. The company now shows drivers graphic pictures of the toll the

bridge can exact.

"We give them all the warning we can; why they still hit it, I don't know,"

Harvey said. "It's bewildering."

Parker said Main Street cannot be lowered without weakening the bridge

structure, and that the railroad - CJX Corp. - has expressed no interest in

raising the bridge. The bridge seems unperturbed by the beatings, content

to dish out more punishment than it receives.

"At the time it was built, that height was fine, but trucks have gotten

bigger and longer," Parker said. "But it's not going anywhere. There isn't

anything out there on the road that's going to damage it."

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Peter Schworm

The Boston Globe

508-820-4237