Kelley Rd. bridge struck twice in 4 days

MILAN TWP. — An infamous local bridge claimed more vehicular victims this week. Two trucks crashed into the low span at the Kelley Road underspass in Milan Township — one on Sunday and one on Wednesday — despite recent efforts by local government officials to give truckers a space to turn around and avoid a collision. In both cases, it did not appear that anyone was injured in either wreck. Sunday crash A Georgia man was cited after driving his truck into the underpass on Sunday. The 24-year-old, from Snellville, was cited for assured clear distance. Just before 10:30 a.m., deputies were called to the 11700 block of Kelley Road for the report of a bridge strike. They arrived to find that a 2020 International box truck had struck the Norfolk Southern bridge over Kelley Road. The height clearance of the bridge from the road is less than 12 feet. Most commercial box trucks and semis exceed 13 feet in height. The entire roof of the box truck was peeled back, and the truck suffered disabling damage, according to an Erie County Sheriff's Office report. The driver was not injured in the crash. Wednesday crash Another box truck struck the bridge on Wednesday. At about noon, first responders were called to the underpass, which is located in the 11700 block of Kelley Road, for the report of a bridge strike. Deputies arrived to find a Goodwill box truck parked on the side of the road just to the south of the Norfolk Southern bridge. The truck's roof was completely peeled back. Part of the roof became detached and stuck to the bridge, hanging more than 10 feet off of the ground. The driver, who was not identified as of late Wednesday, was cited for assured clear distance and failure to obey a traffic control device. He told deputies his GPS had taken him down Kelley Road and that he was trying to reach the Sandusky Goodwill, which would mean he was traveling in the opposite direction of the store at the time of the bridge strike. Kelley Road was closed between Mason and Strecker roads while the scene was cleaned up and the truck was towed. New turnaround Norfolk Southern's bridge over Kelley Road is notorious for being struck by tall vehicles over the years. Earlier this year, county officials took the step of installing a gravel turnaround near the Erie County Municipal Court, which is near the intersection with Mason Road. The turnaround is designed so that drivers of tall vehicles can turn around before encountering the bridge. The only choices to turn around near the bridge are farm fields and a very few private driveways. Wayward trucks have become an increasingly common event on Kelley Road since the opening of the new Love's truck stop just south of the turnpike. When drivers leave the turnpike and make a wrong turn to try to get to Love's, their GPS units will attempt to take them north on U.S. 250 to westbound Mason Road to southbound Kelley Road, then to eastbound Strecker Road. Despite numerous signs warning drivers of the low clearance of the bridge, many still follow their GPS and head down Kelley Road.