Onion truck shuts down Merritt Parkway

Commuters were trapped on the road for hours Tuesday morning after a produce truck traveling north on the Hutchinson River Parkway struck the King Street bridge just south of the state line, littering the roadway with hundreds of onions, police said.

[Vlad the Impaler]

So sad

[Refried]

Vlad the Impaler wrote:

So sad

All those wasted onions....

[Ret-PD]

Knowing Connecticut's history with bridges, I would hope that this one is as secure as the story would have you believe. If there have been 28 bridge collisions just this year, with the majority happening at King St., just how much more stress can it take before there is some tragedy?

Debris falling onto the parkway or a complete collapse might produce several serious injuries and/or deaths. For CT and NY to depend on the good judgement of drivers is not enough. More signage and stepped up enforcement seem logical.

[former res]

The bridge is in in NY State. The article indicates that the King St bridge is one of the lowest on the Parkway.

As for CT: "Lt. J. Paul Vance said he was not aware of any recent incidents of a truck hitting a bridge in the state.

"It is something we monitor, but we don't find it a major issue," said Vance. "When we see a truck on the Merritt Parkway, it is usually an out-of-state vehicle that has lost its way."

[Too Funny]

Refried wrote:

<quoted text>
All those wasted onions....

It brought tears to everyones eyes.

[Refried]

Too Funny wrote:

<quoted text>
It brought tears to everyones eyes.

And a breath of fresh air to everyone else.

[anon]

Second time a truck hit that bridge within a few weeks.
This happens more than a couple of times a year. Better signage is the solution. CT State Police Lt. Vance is not very well informed regarding this bridge although... it IS in NY.

[Tom]

New York State’s Department of Transportation has wanted to totally replace the King Street bridge for years. Their plan has been to take land from homeowners and make a huge, over-engineered four-lane monster to dump more traffic onto King Street. Both towns of Rye Brook and Greenwich do not want this and have submitted more realistic plans that are considerate to homeowners and include better signage. New York State’s Department of Transportation has rejected this concept, and I think it is in their best interest to ignore installing proper signage. If the structure of the bridge becomes compromised from numerous truck strikes, then the bridge will have to be replaced.

[former res]

anon wrote:

Second time a truck hit that bridge within a few weeks.
This happens more than a couple of times a year. Better signage is the solution. CT State Police Lt. Vance is not very well informed regarding this bridge although... it IS in NY.

It happens more than a couple of times a year, in NY.

"O'Leary said 28 truck-versus-bridge accidents have occurred on the parkway this year, with the majority occurring at King Street."

[Vlad the Impaler]

I like the old stone bridges on the parkways around NYC. You don't see anything like them elsewhere.

I've been on the Bronx River and Taconic Parkways where a truck accidentally gets on. Traffic while trying to get the truck off.

We should put a warning bar or chains on the entrance ramps for trucks, Easily removed to allow egress and maintenance vehicles access.

[Suse]

I grew up and lived near Exit 28 of the Merritt until 1992 and I don't remember these accidents happening when we lived there. We loved the Merritt because it didn't allow trucks. Parts of it were so narrow that Hummers probably have a tough time now. It was built for reasonably sized cars.

[Refried]

Vlad the Impaler wrote:

I like the old stone bridges on the parkways around NYC. You don't see anything like them elsewhere.
I've been on the Bronx River and Taconic Parkways where a truck accidentally gets on. Traffic while trying to get the truck off.
We should put a warning bar or chains on the entrance ramps for trucks, Easily removed to allow egress and maintenance vehicles access.

Every so often some nutjob proposes nixing the bridges and opening up a third lane for trucks.

Someone previously here or on the other thread mentioned that the bar/chain idea would not work. They only work in parking garages where you go 5 mph. At 35mph they detach and impale the next vehicle in line.

I do remember 25 years ago when the warning signs were much larger. Thats probably a good way to start.

[Steve]

1. Sorry to disagree, I believe it is a big problem. I commute from Greenwich to NYC and back every day, coming home at all different times. I see a commercial vehicle being pulled over what seems to be at least once a week these days. Also seems like more of them are larger lately, multiple axle trucks.

2. One main thing, the entrance signs are NOT ADEQUATE! Noone is going to read a small paragraph of black letters on a white background. The signs need to be simple, to the point, and more noticable!!!

"NO TRUCKS ALLOWED" in bright letters!!!

[Dixie Chuck]

Most of our truck drivers are illiterate. The fines should be HUGE!

[Ret-PD]

anon wrote:

Second time a truck hit that bridge within a few weeks.
This happens more than a couple of times a year. Better signage is the solution. CT State Police Lt. Vance is not very well informed regarding this bridge although... it IS in NY.

My original post was not completely clear - I know the bridge is in NY but I was referring to the history of CT when it comes to bridge maintenence. It's my guess that NY is not that far ahead in the same field. That's why I made reference to both states.

Since there are so many collisions with this specific structure which obviously affects traffic on the Merritt on a regular basis, it is odd that the CSP officer was so apparently uninformed.

[former res]

Ret-PD wrote:

<quoted text>
My original post was not completely clear - I know the bridge is in NY but I was referring to the history of CT when it comes to bridge maintenence. It's my guess that NY is not that far ahead in the same field. That's why I made reference to both states.
Since there are so many collisions with this specific structure which obviously affects traffic on the Merritt on a regular basis, it is odd that the CSP officer was so apparently uninformed.

What was he uninformed about? He was talking about Connecticut.

[MikeUMA]

Dixie Chuck wrote:

The fines should be HUGE!

That's more like it. This is plain and simple: truck drivers that either don't follow the rules. If you stiffen the penalties to trucking companies, they'll be more likely to pay attention. It's not a problem of inadequate signage. And adding height chains at all entrance ramps is an unsightly waste of money.

The GPS excuse doesn't fly. Truck drivers are held to a higher standard. You shouldn't be using the same model that I use in my car. If you do, and it tells you to get on the Parkway, you should have enough sense to ignore it and find another way. GPS systems aren't perfect, truck drivers should be professional enough to know that.

The DMV should revoke all CDLs for truckers that get in these kind of accidents. If you're dumb enough to smash your full size trailer into a bridge, you don't deserve the license in the first place.

[Merritt Commuter]

They need to install LARGER signs!!!! Just install a crap load of large yellow flashing signs and you could avoid the thousands of dollars it must cost to clean up these messes. Not to mention the safety hazards...

[Green not Yellow]

Merritt Commuter wrote:

They need to install LARGER signs!!!! Just install a crap load of large yellow flashing signs and you could avoid the thousands of dollars it must cost to clean up these messes. Not to mention the safety hazards...

Yes, but just think of the eyesore these flashing yellow signs would create! All the environmentalist aesthetics would be up in arms! I agree that signage has to be better and there seems to be a lot of truck accidents on the Merritt lately but I'm not sure flashing yellow lights are the answer.

[Truck Driver]

Can trucks over 13 feet go on Merritt Parkway ?