This New Hampshire Bridge Has a Hilarious Nickname Because of What It Does to Trucks
It happens every September and May, when moving trucks try to breeze through the overpass on Storrow Drive in Boston. News reporters chuckle at another "stuck truck" which didn't heed the height warning. It's synonymous with fall and spring in the city.
Boston isn't the only city known for stuck trucks.
Dover, New Hampshire, has a railroad bridge which has stood there since the early 1800s, and the clearance is low for trucks. In fact, there's a bright yellow sign and flashing light, which clearly states the clearance is 9' 6", according to a Facebook post about the most recent truck with its top ripped to shreds.
The Facebook Group "What's Happening In (or to) Dover, NH" is a great snapshot of townie life in the quiet New Hampshire city. It was quite active with a post simply titled, "The Can Opener Strikes Again...".
The "can opener" is the Dover nickname for the Broadway rail bridge which wreaks havoc on so many trucks annually, predominantly box trucks.
The photo of the truck looks like the top of the metal truck is literally torn off the top, all crumpled and mangled. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but it apparently happens frequently enough that the locals have given the bridge this hilarious name.
The comments on Facebook are just as funny:
I’m starting to think we need a score board for how many trucks this bridge has taken out.
When I was a kid we lived on Cedar St. Would hear this now and then. Whenever I heard it my Dad would say another one. LOL
I used to live on Pierce Street next to the tracks and two doors down from the Broadway Bridge. It's amazing how many times I've heard the sound of what I can only imagine was the stern of the Titanic scraping against the iceberg.
15 New Hampshire Phrases Out of Towners Don't Understand
Gallery Credit: Kira Lew
These 8 Historic Covered Bridges in Maine Date Back as Far as 1840
Gallery Credit: Jeff Parsons