Lawrence trash truck strikes ‘truck munching’ bridge in Kansas City; no injuries

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Article updated at 5:49, 9:08 p.m. Thursday, May 19:

A Lawrence trash truck was damaged Thursday but there were no injuries after the driver tried to go under a bridge in Kansas City, Missouri, according to police there.

This is not an uncommon occurrence.

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“The Independence Avenue Bridge doesn’t waste any opportunities to eat,” the KCMO police department posted to Facebook.

The trash truck was being moved from one repair shop to another when the accident occurred, Porter Arneill, a spokesperson for the City of Lawrence, said via email.

“This is not a regular repair situation and the driver was not familiar with the area,” Arneill said. He noted that the bridge is well known to be problematic for trucks. “There’s even a dedicated Facebook page: The Bridge on Independence Avenue.”

The bridge has a sign to inform drivers that its clearance is 12 feet — however, “I feel like we need a sign *before* the bridge, like at the drive-thru. (I.e. suspended above the roadway). That way drivers can tear up poles instead of our beloved truck munching bridge,” one commenter wrote on the police department’s Facebook post.

Others said the bridge needs to be rebuilt taller.

“I just wanna know who built that bridge cause they the real MVPs,” another commenter opined.

A tow truck arrived to remove the trash truck from the scene, Fox 4 reported.

Thursday evening, KCPD also posted a video of the crash to their Facebook page.

Update:

For those who were concerned, the trash truck did make it home to Lawrence Thursday afternoon.

August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times The Independence Avenue Bridge got quite a bite out of this Lawrence trash truck, but it made its way back home to the area behind the city’s street maintenance facility by Thursday afternoon, May 19, 2022.
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
August Rudisell / The Lawrence Times
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