Indianapolis police are calling on truck drivers to plan their routes and stay away from a low-clearance railroad bridge downtown, after a surge of trucks striking the structure or getting wedged beneath it.

Source: CDLLife

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) said the bridge near 300 S. Meridian Street has a clearance of just 12 feet 4 inches. Drivers repeatedly realise too late that their vehicles exceed the limit, locking up traffic and requiring a police response each time, the department said.

Why trucks keep getting caught

Investigators say drivers either get stuck underneath the structure or notice the posted height sign and stop before it is too late, according to WISH-TV reporting cited by CDLLife. Either way, traffic backups follow — from the stuck truck itself, or from the work of getting the rig turned around.

IMPD warns that the incidents create gridlock that disrupts commuters and visitors and pulls officers and other city staff away from downtown public-safety work.

What police are asking drivers to do

Police are directing commercial drivers to use truck-specific navigation platforms that flag low-clearance structures, weight limits and approved freight corridors. For north-south travel through the downtown corridor, IMPD outlined detours using Washington Street west to West Street, Maryland Street to South Pennsylvania Street or South East Street, and South Street as an eastbound or westbound bypass, according to the department's advisory reported by American Truck Drivers.

Source: American Truck Drivers

“Proactive route planning eliminates preventable property damage and severe commuting delays,” police said, urging fleet managers, dispatchers and drivers to share the advisory across their networks.