Lasers eyed to stop bridge strikes by trucks
Truck drivers not paying attention or misjudging the clearance of the Metro- North Railroad Bridge over Washington Street in Norwalk strike the structure at least once a month.
The Norwalk Department of Public Works and state and federal governments now hope to reduce such strikes at the span in South Norwalk by installing an “Over- Height Vehicle Detection System.”
“If we put a couple of lasers on the bottom of the railroad bridge and a truck comes along and breaks those lasers, warning lights will flash that he’s too high,” said Norwalk Director of Public Works Bruce Chimento. “They may have to back down the road but at least we don’t have them hitting the bridge.”
The Department of Public Works has scheduled a public information meeting on the project at 7 p. m. Wednesday in Room 231 of Norwalk City Hall, 125 East Ave. Business owners, commuters and other interested individuals are encouraged to take the opportunity to discuss the project.
“If they’re agreeable with the project, there’s a twoweek comment period after that, and then after that we’d go to the ( Common) Council with a resolution to move the project into final design,” said Michael Yeosock, assistant principal engineer in the public works department. “We’re looking at advertising this toward the end of next year, probably installation in the spring of 2020. I think it’s a pretty interesting project.”
Yeosock said a Federal Highway Administration grant would cover 90 percent of the $ 450,000 project. That would leave the city picking up $ 45,000 of the cost. The project would entail installation of foundations, message poles and variable message signs on all four approaches to the railroad bridge, which crosses diagonally above the intersection of Washington and North and South Main streets in the heart of SoNo.
“It’s going to be like an LED sign,” Yeosock said of the message signs. “Basically, there’s an ultraviolet light that goes from one side of the road to the other. An overheight vehicle will break that beam. It will make the computer say, you have an overheight vehicle.”
Yeosock said similar detection systems are in place elsewhere, one along Route 1 in Darien and along the Merritt Parkway in Greenwich. While large trucks also strike the Metro- North bridge above East Avenue in Norwalk, the strikes aren’t as frequent as those occurring at the Washington Street bridge, he said.
System wide, bridge strikes are roughly a daily occurrence for Metro- North Railroad. Structural damage and track realignment can occur whenever an overheight vehicle strikes a railroad bridge. To ensure safety, a temporary 15 mph speed restriction is put into place along the bridge until a bridge inspector is dispatched to ensure the integrity of the bridge and tracks.
Metro- North has four bridges — Fenimore Road and Mamaroneck Avenue, both in Mamaroneck, as well as Westchester Avenue and King Street, both in Portchester — that are equipped with accelerometers and communications equipment. When a bridge strike occurs, the railroad receives an e- mail with a graphic indication of the severity of the strike. Metro- North plans to expand the program to include an additional eight bridges, all in New York, according to the railroad.
While such bridge strikes are primarily the concern of the railroad, local police are also engaged whenever an incident occurs. That includes the Washington Street Bridge.
“We do respond to these accidents in order to check for injuries/ hazards and control traffic; however, they are investigated by the MTA Police,” Lt. Terry Blake, Norwalk police spokesman, said of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department. “Generally, these incidents do cause significant traffic backups or even temporary road closures. We would hope that the audible warning system would significantly lessen the incidence of bridge strikes and help make the intersection safer.”
Elias Christakos, owner of Famous Pizza on North Main Street near the Washington Street bridge, said the structure is hit about once a month. He lent his support to the plan to install the laser detection system on the approaches to the bridge.
“It probably will reduce it,” Christakos said said of strikes. “It’s something that’s been overlooked for a long time. Unless they raise the bridge, which I doubt it, there’s no other solution really.”