The city of Guelph has closed a section of Wyndham Street after another transport truck clipped the bridge used by CN Rail.
This is the fourth time a truck has crashed into the structure in the past week.
In an attempt to discourage trucks from trying and failing to clear the bridge, the city changed the posted height of the bridge overnight.
“The bridge itself has a clearance of 4.2 metres,” Don Kobe, Guelph’s head of engineering, said in a statement. “The crash beams are at 4.1 metres …. The revised sign of 3.8 metres was implemented as a temporary deterrent measure until a permanent solution could be implemented.”
Wyndham Street was closed during the first two weeks of October for repaving.
Days after the street re-opened, the crashes began. But according to drivers, the upward slope beneath the bridge is what’s really causing the issues.
“If they made the grade a lot longer and a lot deeper, there’d be no problem going underneath that bridge,” says Frank Pellizzari, a delivery driver.
He says he navigates around Wyndham Street when he's on the job, doubtful his 3.8 metre truck can clear the bridge.
“When I look at it, it doesn’t look like it’s passable,” he says.
Shop owner Ray Mitchell says he’s seen each crash, and worries the collisions will discourage drivers from delivering into the city’s core.
“Somebody screwed up big time and they’re going to have to go in and fix the problem,” he notes. “And that’s going to cost us millions of dollars.”
Wyndham Street will remain closed until at least the end of next week, when city official say they hope to have a solution.
