GPS and Sign Errors Driving Trucks Under Boston Overpass

by Jana Ritter - Published: 5/21/2014

This morning an 18-wheel semi-truck got lodged under the Route 1A overpass in East Boston and caused major traffic delays for the second-consecutive day, for the same reason and in the same area.

The semi-truck drove under the overpass and the top of its bed peeled open from front to back as it jammed under the bridge. Driver Michael Hunter was en route to drop off cargo and said two GPS systems directed him to make a sharp U-turn under the bridge with a 12-foot height limit. Hunter said once he committed to going under the bridge, he literally got jammed up — and there was already heavy traffic behind him. The crash stopped traffic onto Route 1A South toward Logan Airport for about two hours.

Hunter said he shouldn’t have taken the sharp U-turn, but his GPS systems directed him there and that his only other option would have been to take the turn wider and go over a cement partition. “I felt it get stuck but as I backed up, it got worse. Hindsight is 20/20”, he added.

Tow driver Scott Sainsbury, of Todisco Towing blames poor road signage because the sign telling drivers of the 12-foot height limit is under the overpass. This was the second consecutive day he had to tow a truck from the underpass for the very same reason.

“The issue is they can’t read the sign,” Sainsbury said. “I’m a truck driver, I keep my eyes peeled. If you’re not from this area, the GPS is telling you to go here ... and you can’t see the sign.”

Police also agree this problem is common at the overpass. An officer at the accident scene today even commented, “Yesterday it was watermelons, today it’s home furnishings.” Rich Dembro who works at a nearby car wash says he’s seen dozens of semis lodge themselves under the bridge. “We call this the can opener around here,” he mused. “But I’ve never seen it two days in a row,” he said.

State officials are vowing to prevent another mishap at the nightmare intersection. “MassDOT, BPD, BTD have a team on scene at this location right now to determine what happened and to prevent it from reoccurring,” said MassDOT spokeswoman Sara Lavoie. “We are looking at improving signage, we are looking at possible physical roadway changes, perhaps extending a traffic island, to make the prohibited movement more obvious, as well as adding chains (they would hang from the overpass) to serve as another clue to truckers that height is an issue in this spot,” she added.