{"id":7339,"date":"2011-02-17T18:57:40","date_gmt":"2011-02-17T23:57:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/?p=7339"},"modified":"2022-05-17T18:13:18","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T23:13:18","slug":"low-clearance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/low-clearance\/","title":{"rendered":"Low Clearance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u2019ve seen an unusual website mentioned on several aggregator and blogging websites called 11foot8.com<\/a>. I\u2019m sure that some of you\u2019ve seen it too and it probably doesn\u2019t need much introduction. It features an 11 foot 8 inch (3.56 metre) overpass on Gregson Street in Durham, North Carolina that has the propensity to peel the tops off trucks when unsuspecting drivers underestimate the clearance (map<\/a>). It\u2019s quite entertaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"150801-2092<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The situation in Durham inspired me to wonder about extremely low road clearances. Is it a common phenomenon? How does it arise typically? Is the instance in Durham particularly remarkable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Search<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s a common situation but it\u2019s certainly not rare. I found a wonderful resource from AITA Online, America’s Independent Truckers’ Association, that’s targeted at owner-operator, independent operator, and small-fleet truckers. They provide a list of “Low Clearances, Bridge Heights and below normal bridge clearances<\/a>.” They admit it’s not a definitive list. However, it\u2019s a great starting point for anyone who needs to know about such things, all categorized neatly by state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My unscientific semi-random sample demonstrated some interesting characteristics. Low clearances tended to happen in urban areas where transportation infrastructure gets bunched together tightly or in rural areas where there’s little traffic. I didn’t see much at all in the suburbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some instanced involved covered bridges and tunnels through hillsides. But a much larger number seemed to involve railroad overpasses. That appeared to be true whether urban or rural and I don\u2019t have a good explanation for it. Maybe these railroads predate trucks and back then they only required sufficient clearance for horse and rider?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting with the AITA list, I compiled the lowest of the low clearances. The Durham example does not make the cut. It doesn\u2019t even come close. There are plenty of clearances in the 9-foot (2.74 m) range and lower. Gregson Street gets all the attention because it occurs in a highly visible area that happens to be near someone with an intense interest and a camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Nice Sampling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lets look at a few of the more noteworthy examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henning, Tennessee<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Low<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

McFarlin Avenue, east of Main Street in Henning, Tennessee has a listed height of 8’0″ (2.44 m) below this railroad track (map<\/a>). I’m not sure of the vertical clearance of the Google Street View car and the driver probably had a similar concern. If you open the image<\/a> on a separate page and check the Street View coverage you’ll notice that the images stop right before the bridge and then starts back up again on the other side. There is a similar bridge on the next road crossing Main Street just a but further north so Henning is a remarkable place for low clearances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UPDATE<\/strong>: I visited this overpass<\/a> in 2014!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Railroad, Pennsylvania<\/h3>\n\n\n\n