The hits keep on coming for Glenville bridge

GLENVILLE – Over the course of many years, the old railroad bridge on Glenridge Road in Glenville has been hit so many times by oversized trucks, folks who live in the community have lost track. But one thing they seem certain about is that no matter what else happens, they believe the crashes will continue to occur.

“I am going to estimate I’ve witnessed 450 (crashes),” said Keith Gordon, who moved onto Glenridge Road 21 years ago. “The other day, we had a truck that just hit it, but did minimal damage so he came over, looked at the truck and took off. Those are strikes that aren’t getting reported.”

There are many others in the community who are following the demolition derby-like dilemma on social media.

One person posted: I don’t understand what is wrong with all these truck drivers.

Another incredulous person wrote: Seriously, can’t drivers read?

One other person was keeping score: Bridge 1, truck 0.

Glenville Supervisor Chris Koetzle jokingly suggested he wouldn’t be surprised if the bridge was hit more often than Rocky Balboa.

On Thursday afternoon, a box truck stopped and pulled over to the side of the road just before getting to the bridge. When the driver and his passenger got out, they had a tape measure with them and decided to measure the height of their truck, which was 10 feet, 4 inches, which gave them 7 inches of clearance beneath the 10-foot, 11-inch span.

The proceeded underneath the bridge slowly and carefully.

“You need to explain a truck route to the truckers,” Gordon suggested, “This is not a truck route, it is more of a rural road.”

Aiming to reduce the crashes, the State DOT is in the process of installing state of the art sensors, message boards, and flashing beacons to detect over-sized vehicles.

“I have full confidence this will help mitigate and probably cut down many of the strikes,” Koetzle asserted, “It’s not going to eliminate it totally.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (D – Rotterdam) issued a statement, urging Governor Hochul to sign a bill that he believes will help find solutions to bridge collisions statewide.

“Today’s bridge collision in Glenville serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for action. I implore the Governor to swiftly sign the legislation (A. 7016-B), which has already been passed over 40 days ago. This crucial bill mandates that the Department of Transportation commissioner provides essential data on bridge collisions across the state, enabling us to develop effective solutions in areas like Glenville. By improving safety measures near bridges and preventing future strikes, we can protect our communities statewide. the time for decisive action is now.”