Height Low Bridge

While up in N.Falls 6-20-11  Wife & I saw a Class A RV Backing up off the ramp ( wife was out trying to flag down traffice ) after crossing over the river into N.Falls . I 190 & R.Moses PKwy ,  we saw sign 11.9 clearance (I think it was 11.9 or 11.4). Other than the tunnels on the blue ridge Parkway this is the first time I have noticed this to be a problem , for some reason I was thinking that the min height of road clearance was 13.7 on American roads but I see now I was miss informed, we have a C class but are going to up grade to A class at some point and time. Is this a problem or more of an isolated case , this was our first trip there but I don't recall seeing any warning signs or alt rt but then again I was glued to the GPS / Map (we had already been lost and drove 300+ miles out of our way , ) backing up on that ramp was not safe by no means not to mention speeders , normal traffic,the heat and finding the ALT Rt , I know there is a ALT RT to many Buses /RVs across the Rainbow bridge , if we were to go back I would use the KOA and drive a tow the rest of the way , But I have to ask  do any of you find low bridges a hassle as you travel USA. Would it be  a waste of time to write the NY DMV .  Were planing a trip down to Fla Pan Handle and over to N Orleans later , how many bridges will I have to dodge or air units to replace  ;D before returning back to N.C. Our trip was great (Pricey) 1677 miles  Lancaster Pa. - N.Falls - Morgantown WV- Home NC

Minimum clearance is 13'6" but that only applies to interstate highways.

That is the main reason I have placed a sticker on my dash with the height of our motorhome in standard & metric measurements. Any doubts and I will stop before proceeding. Did run into a close call in montana entering a campground in Great Falls, however we just cleared by a few inchs. Our motorhome is 12' 6" at the highest point.

Bill

There are GPS databases and online and print resources for low clearance points.

There are a handful of campgrounds nationwide that are accessible only or primarily via a low clearance or weight-restricted route.  They're rare.

Otherwise it varies regionally.  In the northeast there are many roads with height and width restrictions, in the midwest, very few.

My rig is 9'8" and so far I've only found obstructions that low on private property.

The older highways sometimes have lower clearances if a bridge was built before the days of larger trucks, buses, and RVs.  We have a Class A and avoid anything less than 12 feet.  The very large RVs like Marathons need 13 feet clearance.  A good example is the tunnel at Zion National Park.  The tall 13 footers are prohibited entirely because the tunnel isn't tall enough.  We slightly shorter ones require that the tunnel be closed to two way traffic (for a fee) and we drive down the middle of the tunnel because it's one of the old ones with a rounded ceiling.  There are certain roads in NY in which RVs are prohibited and it's because of old low clearance bridges.  We've only had to back up once.  We were visiting a relative who was directing us and didn't realize we needed to pay attention to clearances.  When we came to a river crossing with one of the old metal framework bridges we saw it was too low.  There were people behind us but they clearly saw the problem and backed up to give us room.  Luckily it was just a short distance.

The Rand McNally Truckers Atlas has breakdowns by state so truckers know which routes to avoid.  Also, some GPS maps now have them.  There are threads elsewhere in this RV Forum that discuss the GPS programs.  You might also set your GPS for truck routes if that option is available.

The moral of all this is to know the height of your RV, including antennas and air conditioners.  You need to know, not only for bridges, but for fueling stops.  As you travel around you'll see a lot of damaged gas station overhangs, undoubtedly caused by someone who wasn't paying attention to the clearance.

ArdraF

Ned said:

Minimum clearance is 13'6" but that only applies to interstate highways.

Click to expand...

You might want to read the book "Robert Moses" he is the father of the parkways in New York. All parkways in New York have low bridges. He did this to prevent buses from NYC from traveling the parkway to go to the beaches on Long Island. Surprising but that is what he did.

I drove a truck for years and it has helped me immeasurably travelling in the RV. Part of trucking is route planning(which you mentioned)because your out of route miles affect your income. You learn to plan carefully and that interstates aren't always the best choice. Now the fly in the ointment-most bridges in the northeast allow for snow pack. The sign might say 12'6", but you have 13'6" of clearance. Scared me to death one time; but that's another story-good luck figuring it out. The trucker's atlas is pretty reliable, too.

Don't bother writing the NY DMV - they already know where all the low bridges are in NY. 

The older the roads are, the more likely they will have a low bridge here and there, so its mostly a northeast and mid-Atlantic problem.  Here and there, though, you may find a an old RR overpass or farm/logging road that had a low bridge built for it and nobody has the funding available to replace it with a modern 13'6" bridge.

Here is an avoidance for those with tall class A's.....Coming out of Small Country Campground on VA-25 going west hit a low branch on an oak tree with the sattelite dome. Even though I don't see any damages, it sure got my attention. I am at 12" 6" also. Maybe we need to start a thread on low clearances. My Gamin 465T sent me this way to get back on I-64  West.

Here is a video I have seen several times.  This bridge will get almost all of the new 5th wheels and most Motor Homes made today.  11 feet 8 inches.

http://www.11foot8.com/

There is a commercial site that sells low clearance data for use with most major GPS systems. Prices are quite reasonable for one year ($15 right now) and you can drop the subscription after a year. You won't get any new updates, of course, but you've got  the full database as of that time.

http://www.lowclearances.com/

How does one go about measuring how high our motorhome is? Climb up and drop a tape measure to the ground?

Frank

FrankNSharon said:

How does one go about measuring how high our motorhome is? Climb up and drop a tape measure to the ground?

Click to expand...

That's exactly what we did.

It is not just the old roads that have low height clearance. I went to the Denver International Airport, which opened in 1995 and ended up backing out of a place due to an overpass that was too low for me to drive under.

Frank

I was taught a long time ago, was to get on the roof go to the highest point, lay a 1x2 long enough to hang off the roof from the highest point than measure from the 1x2 to the ground. Measure from the top of the board for extra clearance.

That should get you an exact number CB antennas are flexible?

Tin Man

Tom, you aren't the only one that has had to turn back from Denver's new airport - when they moved from the old airport to the new one the trucks carrying all the stuff wouldn't fit under the over passes - good planning - lol.

Frank

That's how we did it as well.  I taped a yard stick on the top of the taller of the two ACs and where the yardstick intersected the tape measure was my top height.  I used a simple lable maker and put the height on the left side of the dash where I can see it while driving.  I put the measurement in Feet and Inches as well as meters.  I might find myself in Canada don' cha know...

Jeff

when they moved from the old airport to the new one the trucks carrying all the stuff wouldn't fit under the over passes - good planning - lol.

Click to expand...

$$$ always trumps good planning. Somebody figured to save a half million with a cheapy underpass - probably said "it's an airport - we don't need room for trucks".

Gary

When DIA was built, they forgot to put a parking lot for the employees.

Oh the embarrassment.

Then there was the time about 20 years ago in my first class C. I was travelling somewhere in the Sierras near Sequoia National Park about 10 pm and going up a seriously steep grade on a winding road when I came upon a big yellow sign announcing a 9'10" tunnel ahead. I almost pooped my pants. Fortunately there was a bypass. I had visions of backing up down this hill in my new class C.