Broadway railroad bridge in Dover hit by box truck in latest crash

DOVER — A box truck owned by Middleton Building Supply struck the Broadway railroad bridge and an outof-service utility pole on Wednesday, forcing a brief road closure as crews responded.

Police in Dover received a report at 12:16 p.m. Wednesday of a single-vehicle incident involving the bridge, which is well known locally for similar accidents over the years. City police and fire department officials responded and found a 2018 International 4300 box truck that was too tall to pass beneath the bridge, according to Dover police Lt. Mark Nadeau.

The old steel truss structure has a clearance of 9 feet, 6 inches, a height often too short for larger vehicles, which have regularly gotten stuck and left scratches beneath the bridge. The 122year-old bridge is owned by Pan Am Railways and has a yellow sign marking the clearance height.

The truck’s two unidentified occupants, both of whom are from Maine, were not injured in the crash, added Nadeau.

The accident is one of the most common incidents in Dover. In the summer of 2018, Dover police Capt. Brad Gould reported the department had responded to 42 collisions with the bridge dating back to January 2013.

“Crashes with large trucks and the Broadway bridge do happen a few times per year … I am not aware of any crash involving the bridge this year that has caused serious injury or damage to the bridge,” Nadeau said Wednesday.

CSX Transportation inspected the Broadway bridge after the accident on Wednesday and found it was undamaged. The box truck was towed and the scene was cleared shortly thereafter.

No criminal charges are expected to be filed as a result of the incident, according to Nadeau.