Network Rail is trialling new technology to stop accidents at a Grantham railway bridge after a lorry got stuck underneath it last week.
The low bridge carries the East Coast mainline over the A52 Barrowby Road.
Grantham Railway Bridge
There is a sign warning that it isn’t suitable for tall vehicles over 4.3 metres, but not all drivers pay attention to it.
A HGV wedged itself under the bridge on January 9, and it took around three hours to reopen the road.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We work tirelessly to reduce the needless disruption caused by bridge strikes, which for the year ending March 2024 cost the British Rail industry £20m in delays, cancellations and repairs.
“We actively campaign for haulage operators and lorry drivers to plan routes carefully and check vehicle heights. When incidents happen, we look to recover the repair and delay costs from operators and drivers.
“We also have a team of bridge strike champions covering all our routes and making proactive visits to haulage companies.
“There are high profile signs, chevrons and protective beams at the Barrowby Road, Harlaxton Road and Springfield Road bridges in Grantham.
“In addition, we will soon be trialling new technology at Harlaxton Road, which increases our ability to monitor remotely – greatly reducing rail disruption by allowing us to have trains running again much sooner after a bridge strike.
“Should this trial prove successful, the same technology will be introduced at other Grantham bridges.”
Councillor Richard Davies (Con), Lincolnshire County County’s executive for transport, said on X (formerly Twitter): “I am pressing them to install sensors at the A1/A52 junction to redirect over-height vehicles onto the A1 so they can avoid the low bridges.”
Another Grantham bridge has also become infamous for accidents. The structure over Harlaxton Road was struck 14 times in the year leading up to March 2024. This gives it the unfortunate title of being the fifth most bashed in Britain.