TxDOT Aims To Stop Trucks With High Loads From Hitting Bridges

On Houston freeways alone, there were seven incidents last year involving a truck hitting a bridge because their load was too high. The most recent incident, on Dec. 2 on a connector ramp between the Southwest Freeway and 610 West Loop, cause damage to a bridge beam.

Danny Perez of TxDOT said that when extensive repairs are required in incidents such as this, it causes delays as other drivers have to find other routes.

“It’s going to tie up lanes,” Perez said. “For instance we have to close one of the connectors, we have to close the bridge. It does tie up some of the main lanes.”

Truck drivers are supposed to know the height of their load and what route to take as it’s part of the state’s permit process, Perez said. But the agency is looking at better signage as an added measure to help keep accidents from occurring. When such an incident occurs, TxDOT tries to recover the cost of repairs from the trucking firm’s insurance carrier.

The Houston truck accident attorneys at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., Accident & Injury Lawyers  help people injured in accidents with semis, tractor-trailers and other oversized vehicles.