New Height Estimate Posted at Notorious Binghamton Obstacle

The Binghamton railroad bridge that inflicts thousands of dollars in damage to too-tall trucks and trailers every year now sports a revised clearance sign.

The Norfolk Southern Railway bridge over Front Street just north of Clinton Street routinely is the scene of crashes where drivers discover too late that some vehicles won't fit.

A sign suggesting the current safe clearance height is 11 feet, 11 inches now appears on the northern side of the trouble spot.

For months, a sign that was posted on the bridge near the Broome County Health Department had been painted over to conceal what apparently was an outdated clearance height of more than 12 feet.

Signs designed to warn southbound truckers heading from Route 17 or Interstate 81 remain in place on Front Street. But those advisories occasionally are missed by some out-of-town drivers.

Plans to carve out some layers of the existing pavement under the bridge have been shelved because the money hasn't been secured for the work.

There's no official estimate of how many trucks have been damaged over the past decade by the railroad bridge. There also is no way to ascertain how many drivers lost jobs following collisions with it.