Over 720 bridges hit by trucks in five years

Lorry drivers have hit more than 720 bridges over the last five years, costing Iarnród Éireann more than €25.5 million in repairs, according to the rail firm.

The company has repeatedly warned lorry drivers who are unaware of the height of their load that they risk derailing a train if they hit a bridge while a train is travelling over it.

After a strike Iarnród Eireann must pursue hauliers for the cost of damages, which can be a lengthy and sometimes protracted process.

Despite the location and height of every bridge in the country being clearly marked on maps available for hauliers, the number of bridge strikes is rising.

To combat the danger Iarnród Éireann has introduced sensors on rails running over bridges that record any movement in the rail alignment if a bridge is hit by a lorry. However, they say these will prove useless if a train is on the rails at the time of the collision.

A spokesman said Iarnród Éireann had spent almost €20 million on the East Wall Road Bridge in Dublin after it was repeatedly struck by passing trucks.

"We had to raise the height of this bridge in 2001. It was being hit on average of 10 times a year," said Barry Kenny of Iarnród Éireann.

A further €2 million was required to repair a bridge in Sixmilebridge Co Clare. On top of these major repairs, Iarnród Éireann spends more than €500,000 a year on repairing bridges hit by lorries.

Last Thursday a lorry driver was fined €250 at Dublin District Court for driving without due care and consideration after he hit the bridge at Customs House Quay, Dublin, last November.

In a sign of growing exasperation with the problem a District Court Judge in Portlaise warned it was just a matter of time before a bridge strike by a lorry caused a death.

Judge Mary Martin made the comment when fining a local man €4,000 who hit a bridge with a lorry on the Mountrath Road in the town.

The driver was charged under the Railways Safety Act, legislation which carries a heavier fine than the Road Traffic Act. He was one of three drivers charged with that offence in court that day.

The Road Traffic Act 2006 makes provision for lorry drivers who strike a road bridge to get penalty points. However, this is one of seven provisions for which the Minister for Transport has not yet signed the commencement order.

The most frequently struck bridge in the country is at Mountmellick Road, Portlaoise, which is hit every two weeks on average.

Figures for the first six months of 2006 show that it is being hit more frequently this year than 2005, having already been hit 16 times this year.

The bridge at Custom House Quay in Dublin city centre is next, being hit on average once every three weeks.

Jimmy Quinn, vice president of the Irish Road Haulage Association admitted there is a problem. "While in terms of the overall number of lorry loads carried across the country, the number of bridges hit is small, we can't defend the indefensible. Every strike is one too many."

One of the problems is the absence of a a national height restriction for lorries. The hauliers have been meeting with the Department of Transport for more than three years to try and resolve this issue.

Mr Quinn said the issue had not been dealt with because successive ministers in the Department of Transport were afraid of making a decision. However, he said the current Minister of State for Transport, Pat the Cope Gallagher, has shown a willingness to deal with the issue.

It is expected that the new national height restriction will be 4.65 meters, the same height as the Dublin Port Tunnel and it will be introduced when the tunnel opens. However, this is lower than the 4.95 meters height hauliers sought, which is the height of socalled supercube lorries.

A spokeswoman for the Minister said the national height restriction would be accompanied by a series of measures to reduce bridge strikes.

These would include enhanced training, an obligation on operators and drivers to know the height of their vehicles when they are leaving port areas and the use of laser beams before bridges to give drivers advance warning of whether or not their vehicle can pass safely.

Mr Quinn said: "Most truck drivers are pulling the one type of trailer the whole time. The problems occur when they pick up a trailer with a different height.

The big risk is in the steel container business where you have people hauling 9' 6" and 10' 6" containers. Effectively that is a 44 tonne battering ram, and usually the bridge comes off worse."

Most frequently hit bridges in 2005

1. Mountmellick Rd, Portlaoise hit 22 times

2. Custom House Quay, Dublin hit 16 times

3. N11, Gorey hit 11 times

4. Mountrath Rd, Portlaoise hit 8 times

5. Sandwith St, Dublin hit 7 times