Truck crashes at Louisville's 'can opener' overpasses continue to climb

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — As Louisville drivers adjust to the closure of a 5-mile stretch of Interstate 65 this summer, a familiar city traffic hazard is seeing an increase in crashes.

As of June 10, Louisville Metro Police confirmed at least 11 crashes involving large trucks were reported at the overpasses along 3rd Street near Winkler Avenue and Eastern Parkway.

LMPD spokesperson Aaron Ellis said this number only includes incidents in which officers were called to respond. It does not include near misses or any trucks that drove away after hitting the overpass.

Ellis also said the number could be higher if a local towing company was called instead of police.

The overpasses are already notorious in the city, often referred to by locals as Louisville's "can opener" because of the oversized trucks that occasionally get wedged under the bridges.

As truck drivers search for alternate routes during the interstate closure, many are bypassing officials detours, which has led to an increase in these already familiar incidents.

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Norfolk Southern, who own the railroad tracks on the overpass on 3rd and Eastern Parkway, said a railroad bridge inspector is called to inspect the structure immediately after every incident.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said 29 warning signs were already posted near the overpasses prior to the closure. Three days into the construction, KYTC spokesperson Mindy Peterson announced that the department added to further signage to alert truck drivers to the low clearance.

The department also confirmed that all four overhead alert systems are working correctly, after one of the signs was found to be malfunctioning.

Jason Walters with Suburban Towing recently measured the bridge opening at Winkler Avenue at 12 feet, four inches. However, the lowest point of the bridge drops to just 11 feet, eight inches roughly midway through the span — creating a trap for oversized vehicles that make it past the entrance.

Matt Bullock, KYTC's District 5 chief engineer, said many of these crashes come from drivers not fully understanding the limits of their truck.

"We found that people that have stopped, and have hit then bridge...they don't even seem to know what they're dealing with, with their truck," Bullock said. "So that's one thing we keep saying, 'know your height, and know it's right.'"