Norfolk Southern–Gregson Street Overpass

{{redirect|The Can Opener|the kitchen implement|can opener|other uses|can opener (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox bridge

| name = Norfolk Southern–Gregson Street Overpass

| image = Durham--Gregson Street Guillotine 01.jpg

| caption = View of overpass from its northern approach circa 2015. Photograph is before signalization was added and the warning beacons were removed.

| coordinates = {{coord|35|59|56.8|N|78|54|36.5|W|scale:4000|display=inline,title}}

| carries = Amtrak
Norfolk Southern Railway

| crosses = South Gregson Street

| locale = Durham, North Carolina, U.S.

| official_name = Norfolk Southern–Gregson Street Overpass

| other_name = {{plainlist|

11-foot-8 Bridge
11-foot-8+8 Bridge
Can Opener Bridge
The Can Opener
Gregson Street Guillotine}}

| owner = North Carolina Railroad

| id = 000000000630068

| id_type = Structure Number

| design = Stringer/Multi-beam or Girder

| material = Steel

| length = {{cvt|28|m|ft|disp=flip}}

| number_spans = 2

| clearance_below = {{cvt|12|ft|4|in|m}} ({{as of|October 2019|lc=yes}})

| open = {{start date|1940}}

| rebuilt = {{start date|2019|10}}

| traffic = 11,000 (2003) with 6% of truck traffic

}}

The Norfolk Southern–Gregson Street Overpass, also known as the 11-foot-8 Bridge or the Can Opener Bridge,{{efn|Other names include the "11-foot-8+8 Bridge" post-raising, "The Can Opener" or "The Gregson Street Guillotine".}} is a railroad bridge in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Built in 1940, the bridge allows passenger and freight trains to cross over South Gregson Street in downtown Durham and also functions as the northbound access to the nearby Durham Amtrak station.

The bridge was designed in the 1920s, with a clearance for vehicles of {{convert|11|ft|8|in|m}}, the standard height when it opened. Since 1973, the standard clearance for bridges was increased to a minimum height of {{convert|14|ft|m|2}}, although bridges constructed before this date were not required to be rebuilt to meet the increased clearance requirement.{{cite book |last1=The American Association of State Highway Officials |title=STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS for HIGHWAY BRIDGES |date=1973 |publisher=the Association General Offices |location=Washington, D.C. |page=12 |edition=Eleventh |url=https://archive.org/details/gov.law.aashto.bridges.1973 |access-date=November 2, 2019 |language=en |chapter=1 |quote=By the Authority Vested By Part 5 of the United States Code § 552(a) and Part 1 of the Code of Regulations § 51 the attached document has been duly INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE and shall be considered legally binding upon all citizens and residents of the United States of America. HEED THIS NOTICE: Criminal penalties may apply for noncompliance. }} Despite numerous warning signs about the low clearance, a large number of trucks, buses, and RVs have collided with the overpass at high speed, tearing off roof fixtures, and at times shearing off the trucks' roofs, earning the bridge the nicknames the "Can Opener" and the "Gregson Street Guillotine".{{cite news |title=This Bridge Continues Wreaking Havoc on Unsuspecting Truck Drivers |publisher=NBC News |work=NBC Nightly News |date=January 7, 2016 |first=Gabe |last=Gutierrez |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/this-bridge-continues-wreaking-havoc-on-unsuspecting-truck-drivers-598000195549 |access-date=January 7, 2016 |archive-date=January 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110002325/http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/this-bridge-continues-wreaking-havoc-on-unsuspecting-truck-drivers-598000195549 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Gibbs |first=Tamara |date=June 22, 2015 |title=Trucks hit same Durham bridge hours apart |work=Eyewitness News |publisher=WTVD-TV |location=Durham, NC |url=http://abc11.com/traffic/trucks-hit-same-bridge-hours-apart/799167/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111110051/http://abc11.com/traffic/trucks-hit-same-bridge-hours-apart/799167/ |archive-date=January 11, 2016 }}{{cite news |last=Mitchell |first=David |date=April 12, 2013 |title=Video: Trucks smash into bridge time after time after time |publisher=KDVR-TV |location=Denver |url=http://kdvr.com/2013/04/12/video-trucks-smash-into-bridge-time-after-time-after-time/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125041451/http://kdvr.com/2013/04/12/video-trucks-smash-into-bridge-time-after-time-after-time/ |archive-date=January 25, 2016 }}

The bridge gained fame as a nearby office worker, Jürgen Henn, set up cameras in 2008 to track the collisions with the bridge.

Despite the number of crashes, a March 2014 report stated that only three injuries had been recorded, making rebuilding of the bridge a low-priority concern. Later, in October 2019, the North Carolina Railroad Company, which owns the bridge and tracks, raised the bridge by {{convert|8|in|cm|0}} to {{convert|12|ft|4|in|m}} to reduce collisions and to eliminate the grade difference between the level crossing nearby and the bridge itself, although that is still well below the standard height.{{Cite web |url=https://www.wral.com/durham-s-can-opener-bridge-being-raised/18712577/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023203041/https://www.wral.com/durham-s-can-opener-bridge-being-raised/18712577/ |archive-date=October 23, 2019 |url-status=live |title=Durham's 'can opener bridge' being raised |last=Krueger |first=Sarah |date=October 21, 2019 |website=WRAL.com |language=en |access-date=October 23, 2019 |publisher=Capitol Broadcasting Company }} Collisions involving vehicles that are too tall to safely pass under the bridge continue to occur.{{cite news |url=https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article289226149.html |title=A legendary Durham bridge still mauls trucks, though not as often as it used to |last=Stradling |first=Richard |date=June 24, 2024 |work=The News & Observer |access-date=April 29, 2025}}

History

The bridge was designed in the 1920s and built in 1940 by the Southern Railway. The railroad is located near various industrial buildings that at one time hosted tobacco and textile businesses.{{cite news |last1=Friedlein |first1=Ken |title=Bridges Chew Up High Trailers |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120130055/11-foot-8/ |access-date=March 4, 2023 |work=Durham Herald |date=March 13, 1972 |volume=78 |page=1B |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304021051/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120130055/11-foot-8/ |url-status=live }}

As early as the 1960s, several low bridges in Durham were an impediment to the area's industry as larger trucks began supplementing rail haulage. The bridge on Gregson Street in particular was deemed "the granddaddy stopper-of-them-all", having experienced at least seven collisions from trucks, which incurred $20,000 (${{inflation|US|20,000|1968|2021|fmt=c|r=-4}} in 2021) worth of damage, in 1968. North Carolina attempted to fix the problem but was unable to obtain federal funding; the accepted method of ameliorating the problem at the time was to dig for the road to go deeper, given that the Railway could not afford to rebuild the bridge altogether. As years passed, this option would eventually become impractical, as it would require moving sewer lines and water pipes below the road surface, which would come at a high cost and cause important utilities to be shut down for weeks to months.

Official actions

File:Durham--Gregson Street Guillotine 03.jpg to protect it from over-height trucks. The beam's web is horizontal to better absorb the shear force of truck collisions. The vertical flanges spread the impact.]]

The state of North Carolina owns the North Carolina Railroad Company, which owns the land and the bridge. North Carolina Railroad owns no rolling stock, but leases tracks to Amtrak and Norfolk Southern Railway.{{cite news |title=NC lawmakers seeking more from railroad company |first=Gary D. |last=Robertson |date=November 26, 2012 |work=The Daily Herald |location=Roanoke Rapids, NC |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.rrdailyherald.com/access/nc-lawmakers-seeking-more-from-railroad-company/article_3c42b182-37c3-11e2-897b-0019bb2963f4.html |access-date=January 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201122555/http://www.rrdailyherald.com/access/nc-lawmakers-seeking-more-from-railroad-company/article_3c42b182-37c3-11e2-897b-0019bb2963f4.html |archive-date=December 1, 2012 |url-status=dead }} A heavy steel crash beam protects the bridge from over-height trucks but does not prevent crashes or protect the trucks, instead acting to create a "can opener effect" equivalent to the opening of a sardine can where the top of the over-height truck is peeled back from its frame. The crash beam has been hit so often that it had to be replaced at least once.

The problem is complicated by the location of Peabody Street, which runs parallel to the tracks, and intersects Gregson, just before the bridge. Not all trucks traveling on Gregson will continue under the bridge. Some large trucks must turn right onto Peabody to make their deliveries. Over-height trucks are allowed on Gregson, as long as they turn just before the bridge.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

=New traffic signal=

In May 2016, the city attempted to solve the problem by installing a traffic signal at the intersection, and removing the yellow warning beacons.{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Chris |date=July 8, 2016 |title=Truck Slams Into Durham's 'Can Opener' Bridge Despite New Warning System |work=Spectrum News |publisher=Time Warner Cable |url=http://www.twcnews.com/nc/triangle-sandhills/news/2016/07/8/truck-slams-into-durham-s--can-opener--bridge-despite-new-warning-system.html |access-date=January 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213121419/http://www.twcnews.com/nc/triangle-sandhills/news/2016/07/8/truck-slams-into-durham-s--can-opener--bridge-despite-new-warning-system.html |archive-date=February 13, 2017 }} When an over-height vehicle approaches, the signal cycles to red and a blank-out sign affixed to the signal's mast arm illuminates and flashes the message "OVERHEIGHT MUST TURN" in white. The signal will eventually turn green even if the over-height vehicle chooses not to turn. The signal's long delay was intended to notify drivers that their vehicles would not fit under the bridge. On May 12, 2016, the signal was implemented. No additional crashes occurred until July 7, 2016.{{cite web |url=https://11foot8.com/hungry-canopener-bridge-defeats-fancy-new-warning-system/ |title=Very hungry canopener bridge defeats fancy, new warning system |date=July 7, 2016 |website=11foot8 |access-date=November 11, 2021 |archive-date=November 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111074114/https://11foot8.com/hungry-canopener-bridge-defeats-fancy-new-warning-system/ |url-status=live }} Trucks have continued to hit the bridge, possibly because the local buses fit underneath, despite the sensors displaying the overheight message. Drivers of other vehicles may think that the "OVERHEIGHT MUST TURN" warning is triggered by a nearby vehicle, instead of their own vehicle. In some cases, the over-height object is merely an air conditioning unit or vent on a RV, which may be too small for the sensor to detect.{{cite web |url=https://11foot8.com/camper-a-c-units-chewed-off-by-hungry-11foot88-bridge/ |title=Camper A/C units chewed off by hungry 11foot8+8 bridge |date=March 31, 2021 |website=11foot8 |access-date=November 11, 2021 |archive-date=November 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111074115/https://11foot8.com/camper-a-c-units-chewed-off-by-hungry-11foot88-bridge/ |url-status=live }}

=Traffic separation study=

In 2014, the North Carolina Department of Transportation Rail Division, the city of Durham, and Kimley-Horn completed a traffic separation study of 18 rail crossings over a {{convert|12|mi|km|adj=mid}} section of the railroad. The Gregson Street overpass is within the subject area of the study. The study focused on eliminating at-grade crossings, not on fixing grade-separated crossings such as the one at Gregson. There have been four deaths and two other injuries in the study area since 1991, compared to three minor injuries at Gregson.

The study recommended replacing the bridge at Roxboro Street because it has a vertical clearance of {{convert|11|feet|4|in|m}}, and "many trucks have gotten stuck under the Roxboro Street railroad bridge."{{cite report |title=Traffic Separation Study (TSS) |date=March 27, 2014 |first=Matthew |last=West |publisher=City of Durham, North Carolina |url=http://durhamnc.gov/documentcenter/view/3571 |access-date=January 9, 2016 |archive-date=January 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126103128/http://durhamnc.gov/documentcenter/view/3571 |url-status=live }} Local news stations have reported crashes at this site.{{cite news |date=August 6, 2015 |title=Another Truck Slams Into Durham Bridge, Gets Stuck |work=Eyewitness News |location=Durham, NC |publisher=WTVD-TV |url=http://abc11.com/traffic/another-truck-slams-into-bridge-gets-stuck/906634/ |access-date=January 18, 2016 |archive-date=January 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114113743/http://abc11.com/traffic/another-truck-slams-into-bridge-gets-stuck/906634/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=December 9, 2014 |title=Tractor-trailer hits Roxboro Street bridge in Durham |location=Raleigh, NC |publisher=WRAL-TV |url=http://www.wral.com/tractor-trailer-hits-roxboro-street-bridge-in-durham/14259647/?comment_order=forward |access-date=January 18, 2016 |archive-date=January 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126083426/http://www.wral.com/tractor-trailer-hits-roxboro-street-bridge-in-durham/14259647/?comment_order=forward |url-status=live }}

=Raising=

File:12foot4.png

In October 2019, the North Carolina Railroad Company began work to raise the bridge by {{convert|8|in|m}} as part of a $500,000 project to improve safety and reduce damage to the span. The bridge was raised to a new height of {{convert|12|ft|4|in|m}}, the maximum clearance that would not affect the grades of nearby crossings. It was further stated that the grade had to be improved for safety reasons to allow the trains to go faster. The entire project was expected to take two weeks to complete, although the actual raising on October 30, 2019, only took eight hours.{{cite news |last=Hyland |first=Michael |date=October 21, 2019 |title=Durham's infamous 'can opener' bridge to be raised |url=https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/durham-county-news/durhams-infamous-can-opener-bridge-to-be-raised/ |work=CBS17 |access-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101144301/https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/durham-county-news/durhams-infamous-can-opener-bridge-to-be-raised/ |archive-date=November 1, 2019 |url-status=live }}

The new height is still far lower than the typical bridge clearance, so the system of warning signals and the guard barrier remained in place. Twenty-two days after it was raised, another collision occurred on November 26, 2019. The bridge continues to snag some vehicles as captured by the 11'8" website.{{cite web |url=https://boingboing.net/2019/11/30/can-opener-bridge-recently-ra.html |title=Can-opener bridge, recently raised 8 inches, claims another victim |first=Mark |last=Frauenfelder |date=November 30, 2019 |access-date=December 30, 2019 |work=Boing Boing |archive-date=December 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230160319/https://boingboing.net/2019/11/30/can-opener-bridge-recently-ra.html |url-status=live }}

Media and internet coverage

File:Boxtruck carnage on Friday the 13th at the 11foot8 bridge.webm

Jürgen Henn, who works in a nearby office, mounted several video cameras to record the crashes from different angles.{{cite news |url=https://today.duke.edu/2019/10/duke-employee-behind-%E2%80%98can-opener-bridge%E2%80%99-cam |title=The Duke Employee Behind the 'Can Opener Bridge' Cam |date=October 30, 2019 |first=Jonathan |last=Black |work=Duke Today |access-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110040520/https://today.duke.edu/2019/10/duke-employee-behind-%E2%80%98can-opener-bridge%E2%80%99-cam |url-status=live }} Since April 2008, he has recorded over 100 crashes, and posted them on YouTube.{{cite news |title=The Joys of Watching a Bridge Shave the Tops off Trucks |date=January 6, 2016 |first=Ben |last=Cohen |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-joys-of-watching-a-bridge-shave-the-tops-off-trucks-1452045185 |access-date=January 7, 2016 |url-access=subscription |id={{ProQuest|1755090313}} |archive-date=January 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106132826/http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-joys-of-watching-a-bridge-shave-the-tops-off-trucks-1452045185 |url-status=live }} The videos gradually attracted the attention of a local TV station,{{cite news |title=Man's videos span year of trucks hitting Durham bridge |first=Erin |last=Hartness |location=Raleigh, NC |work=WRAL-TV |date=March 18, 2009 |url=http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4766966/ |access-date=January 13, 2016 |archive-date=January 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126125229/http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4766966/ |url-status=live }} and eventually progressed to international media attention.

The bridge is only one of several under-height bridges in the area that trucks frequently crash into; however, the videos became popular, and brought this particular bridge to international media attention, including front-page coverage in The Wall Street Journal,{{cite news |last=Hooley |first=Danny |date=January 6, 2016 |title=A little off the top: Durham's "Canopener Bridge" makes the front page of The Wall Street Journal |work=Indy Week |url=http://www.indyweek.com/news/archives/2016/01/06/a-little-off-the-top-durhams-canopener-bridge-makes-the-front-page-of-the-wall-street-journal |url-status=live |access-date=January 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109022925/http://www.indyweek.com/news/archives/2016/01/06/a-little-off-the-top-durhams-canopener-bridge-makes-the-front-page-of-the-wall-street-journal |archive-date=January 9, 2016 }} on an episode of the Comedy Central television show Tosh.0,{{cite episode |last=Tosh (host) |first=Daniel |date=November 21, 2017 |title=Best of Season 9 |series=Tosh.0 |series-link=Tosh.0 |season=9 |number=30 |url=https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/video/P3ZIQy3Vd6Ndt2beE3C2b_IzW_8i5sn1/ |via=Paramount Plus |language=English |network=Comedy Central |access-date=February 22, 2025 |df=mdy}} on an episode of the CBC Radio radio program As It Happens in Canada,{{cite episode |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.5333703/north-carolina-can-opener-bridge-to-be-raised-after-years-of-shearing-tops-off-trucks-1.5336098 |title=North Carolina 'can opener' bridge to be raised after years of shearing tops off trucks |date=October 25, 2019 |series=As It Happens |network=CBC Radio |access-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107082217/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.5333703/north-carolina-can-opener-bridge-to-be-raised-after-years-of-shearing-tops-off-trucks-1.5336098 |url-status=live }} on the Portuguese language Brazilian TerraTV,{{cite web |date=October 20, 2013 |title=Vídeo traz coletânea de caminhões batendo em ponte |trans-title=Video brings a collection of trucks hitting a bridge |url=https://www.terra.com.br/noticias/tecnologia/internet/hits-da-web/videos/video-traz-coletanea-de-caminhoes-batendo-em-ponte,492776.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107082218/https://www.terra.com.br/noticias/tecnologia/internet/hits-da-web/videos/video-traz-coletanea-de-caminhoes-batendo-em-ponte,492776.html |archive-date=November 7, 2021 |access-date=November 7, 2021 |work=TerraTV |language=pt-br }} on Stuff in New Zealand,{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/126900879/the-11-foot-8-bridge-strikes-again-and-again |title=The 11 foot 8 bridge strikes again (and again) |work=Stuff |first=Damien |last=O'Carroll |date=November 5, 2021 |access-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107082218/https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/126900879/the-11-foot-8-bridge-strikes-again-and-again |url-status=live }} in the Hebrew language Israeli newspaper {{Lang|he-latn|Maariv}},{{cite news |url=https://www.maariv.co.il/news/viral/Article-725511 |title=גשר צר מאוד: הסוף לגשר הויראלי שריסק את גגות המשאיות |newspaper=Maariv |date=October 24, 2019 |trans-title=Very narrow bridge: the end of the viral bridge that smashed the roofs of trucks |language=he |access-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107082217/https://www.maariv.co.il/news/viral/Article-725511 |url-status=live }} in the Spanish language Peruvian newspaper {{Lang|es|El Comercio}},{{cite news |url=https://elcomercio.pe/redes-sociales/youtube/conoce-puente-abrelatas-terror-camiones-video-164229-noticia/ |title=Conoce al Puente abrelatas, el terror de los camiones [VIDEO] |newspaper=El Comercio |date=February 11, 2017 |trans-title=Meet the Can Opener Bridge, the terror of trucks [VIDEO] |language=es |access-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107082218/https://elcomercio.pe/redes-sociales/youtube/conoce-puente-abrelatas-terror-camiones-video-164229-noticia/ |url-status=live }} on the Irish iRadio,{{cite news |url=https://www.iradio.ie/bridge-crashing/ |title=There's a bridge in the US that people won't stop crashing into |work=iRadio |date=November 5, 2021 |access-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107082219/https://www.iradio.ie/bridge-crashing/ |url-status=live }} in the Danish newspaper {{Lang|da|Ekstra Bladet}},{{cite news |url=https://ekstrabladet.dk/Haandvaerkeren/article4011411.ece |title=TV: Verdens farligste bro |date=October 31, 2012 |trans-title=TV: The world's most dangerous bridge |language=da |first=Anders Borup |last=Sørensen |newspaper=Ekstra Bladet |access-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107082219/https://ekstrabladet.dk/Haandvaerkeren/article4011411.ece |url-status=live }} on news.com.au in Australia,{{cite news |url=https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/the-overpass-rivalling-melbournes-notorious-montague-street-bridge/news-story/a7ff9f868c661f1a6db57c1e4b41cdf3 |title=The overpass rivalling Melbourne's notorious Montague Street Bridge |work=news.com.au |date=May 4, 2016 |first=Olivia |last=Lambert |access-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107224758/https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/the-overpass-rivalling-melbournes-notorious-montague-street-bridge/news-story/a7ff9f868c661f1a6db57c1e4b41cdf3 |url-status=live }} on the Italian language radio station Rai Radio 2,{{cite web |title=Gli Sbandati di Radio 2 |trans-title=The Strangers of Radio 2 |url=https://www.raiplayradio.it/audio/2019/03/GLI-SBANDATI-DI-RADIO2-0ddaccc0-33d1-4ca9-96c9-93371e8624c0.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602044346/https://www.raiplaysound.it/audio/2019/03/GLI-SBANDATI-DI-RADIO2-0ddaccc0-33d1-4ca9-96c9-93371e8624c0.html |archive-date=June 2, 2022 |access-date=November 7, 2021 |work=Rai Radio 2 |language=it }} on the French television news channel {{Lang|fr|La Chaîne Info|italic=no}},{{cite news |url=https://www.lci.fr/insolite/caroline-du-nord-le-pont-scalpeur-de-camions-2003797.html |title=Vidéo - Etats-Unis : la malédiction du pont "scalpeur" de camions |work=La Chaîne Info |first=Virginie |last=Fauroux |date=September 20, 2016 |trans-title=Video - United States: the curse of the "scalping" truck bridge |language=fr |access-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110063545/https://www.lci.fr/insolite/caroline-du-nord-le-pont-scalpeur-de-camions-2003797.html |url-status=live }} and on a video by YouTuber videogamedunkey.{{Citation |title=The Truck Killing Bridge | date=July 28, 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pO39Sh6THg |language=en |access-date=January 24, 2022 |archive-date=January 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124021503/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pO39Sh6THg |url-status=live }}

In April 2019, the camera captured the sound of a nearby gas explosion which killed two and injured 25 people.{{Cite news |date=April 10, 2019 |title=Durham explosion: Camera on bridge caught sound of blast |language=en |work=WTVD |url=https://abc11.com/5242153/ |access-date=March 9, 2021 |archive-date=July 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724062200/https://abc11.com/5242153/ |url-status=live }}

Food trucks

At nearby Brightleaf Square, a food truck bar is set to open in summer 2024, called The Can Opener. Five restaurants will park food trucks in the location, and an indoor bar will serve coffee and drinks. The co-owner of one restaurant commented that he still saw trucks hit the bridge.{{Cite news |date=June 12, 2024 |title=A supergroup of 5 local food trucks will open an outdoor dining space in Durham |last=Jackson |first=Drew |work=News and Observer |url=https://www.newsobserver.com/living/food-drink/article288802535.html }}