Plans in the works to prevent trucks from getting stuck at Northgate Mile Underpass
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Several trucks have gotten stuck under the Northgate Mile Underpass in the last few months.
Why does this keep happening? Are there plans to do something about this?
The structure was built for the railroad in the 1930s, so it was not built to today's height standards, says Idaho Transportation Department PIO for East Idaho, Sky Buffat.
A roadway for drivers wasn't built under the railroad bridge until 2000.
"It's seen continual improvements in the time since then, some of them more substantial than others. It’s had continual monitoring," Buffat said.
Fortunately, Buffat says there are plans to help the underpass situation.
"[ITD is] working with the City of Idaho Falls on an advanced warning system that would be able to detect [a truck's] height well before it hit that area of roadway," she said. "Signs would start to blink, letting them know there's a height requirement or a particularly different height requirement than usual."
Buffat is not sure when this system will be installed. In the meantime, she recommends truck drivers take alternate routes to avoid the underpass. It might take extra time, but it will still be less time than getting stuck under the bridge.
