Truck drivers planning their routes in the Evergreen State now have access to information online to help them avoid bridges that are too low for their vehicles to clear.
The Washington State Department of Transportation noted the collapse of the Skagit River bridge on Interstate 5 in 2013 prompted it to unveil the online tool. The bridge collapsed after it was struck by a truck.
“We’ve taken advantage of existing technology to help improve safety on our roads,” Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson said in a statement Jan. 15.
“This innovation offers truckers a new tool to find the safest route for their trip,” Gov. Jay Inslee (D) said.
The trip planner was developed with help from the Washington Trucking Associations, whose members tested the tool, said Sheri Call, WTA’s vice president of government of relations. Before the online tool, drivers had to look up bridge data in other places.
“This is a huge step in the right direction,” Call said.
The state route bridge vertical clearance trip planner is found on the agency’s website.
WSDOT also announced it has clarified its commercial vehicle policies, begun a statewide review of signing for low-clearance structures, added the bridge-clearance list to its road restrictions webpage and included guidelines to help drivers determine what type of permit they should request.
