Can Anyone Confirm Or Deny This? 12’ 7” & 12’ 9” Clearances On I-95 Near I-87 (Bronx)

Welcome to the Bronx!

Welcome to the Bronx!

That's rough OS. I remember getting stuck for almost 5 hours because if a fatal accident on the GWB. They had the shut down both North and South bound sides. There NJ turnpike authority said it was the worst traffic jam they've seen since 9/11.

Coming off of Long Island and getting into 95 I got a low bridge warning. What it was, is that the overpass in the oncoming ramp lane was low. I scooted over to the travel lanes and it was all good

Yeah, on I-95 in NYC, a 13'6" will pass through.

In the northeast, they measure at the shoulder, not the actual road.

First time doing that I went "Oh ****" until I saw a truck do it right in front of me.

The Chesapeake Bay Tunnel though, I have to be loaded with 20k to not trigger the overheight sensor, lol

Welcome to the Bronx!

Growing up here in NYC & being a professional driver most my adult life here, I know that mess known as the Cross Bronx Expway intimately. And that scene you wrote about, the beggars strolling thru traffic, is repealed over & over again throughout the clogged arteries of this city.

Because of yours & Susan’s sage advise I did go around the TZ bridge & instead of doing route 17, I-80 & I-95 combo, I went down I-287, route 24 to I-78. 90 mns later? I’m in Jersey City dropping my empty trailer to start my home time. The only traffic I hit was at the entrance to the bridge cause the road is discombobulated from construction & on the other side cause of merging traffic from the left lane ending. To your point about NY’s tape measure discrepancies? At two places on I-278 thru Brooklyn, at 2 places I saw 12’ 9” & 12’ 11” clearances but I was following a condo that’s higher than my lightweight & he breezed right through.

I guess tommyguns point about them measuring at the shoulders makes sense with me experience last night. But most states point out that the low clearance is at the shoulder. Leave it to NY to only give you part of the story. Just like their detour signs! They lead you up to a point & then you’re on your own through some very sketchy hoods.

Thank you Old School & Susan!

No interstate highway in our great country has an overpass that a 13'6" rig cannot safely travel under with plenty of room to spare, so long as we stay in the traffic lane. As has been noted, there are places where the height at the shoulder could be a problem.

Lots of sources of information about this are just plain wrong, including the newest Garmin. I submitted an error report to Garmin on that recently...hopefully they'll fix it because as it is, they won't let us run the PA Pike for quite a distance east of Somerset.

Here is a link to an FHA page on this topic: https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/geometric/pubs/mitigationstrategies/chapter3/3_verticalclearance.cfm

Welcome to the Bronx!

NY State has always posted their bridge clearances a foot lower than actual clearance to try and prevent any overhead collisions. At least that is what a NY trooper told me over 40 years ago. Try going down the BQE [ Brooklyn Queens Expressway ] and come around a corner to see 12'6", BRAKE check"! I was on a state highway after loading armed 80mm cannon shells, placarded load, from Seneca Army Depot and this 2 lane road had a bridge posted 12'9" and I couldn't stop quick enough only to find I had all the clearance needed. I'm sure that all clearances are not posted a foot below actual height but that was my experience.

Here is another interesting article from todays news. This box truck is 12'7 and he his a wooden covered brigade because he moved over the right for an oncoming car. I go over these historic bridges from time to time, and the "general rule" is one car at a time.

http://www.wmur.com/article/historic-covered-bridge-damaged-after-hit-from-truck/22489230

If they really do that in NY, that is just crazy. Putting a foot lower isn't going to stop an inattentive driver from crashing into it....if they need 13'6" and can't see a sign that says 13', they're not going to see a sign that says 12' either. All they'll get with that nonsense is a lot of truckers braking and coming to a stop in the freaking highway to check the bridge out.

BTW, I carry one of those little electronic measuring gadgets. If I come to an unmarked bridge that I'm not sure about, I just jump out with that, set it on the ground under the bridge, and shine it up on the thing then read the distance. It saved my butt once in Chicago....a couple of other times, it let me know I was good to go. $40ish well spent.

NY State has always posted their bridge clearances a foot lower than actual clearance to try and prevent any overhead collisions. At least that is what a NY trooper told me over 40 years ago. Try going down the BQE [ Brooklyn Queens Expressway ] and come around a corner to see 12'6", BRAKE check"! I was on a state highway after loading armed 80mm cannon shells, placarded load, from Seneca Army Depot and this 2 lane road had a bridge posted 12'9" and I couldn't stop quick enough only to find I had all the clearance needed. I'm sure that all clearances are not posted a foot below actual height but that was my experience.