Dave Chesson, a state DOT spokesman, said there were no signs leading up to the bridge warning about its clearance height.

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At the height of the bridge, the course abruptly drops four feet.

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From the base, the vector of the bridge is up, aspiring to height like the mighty trunk of a sequoia.

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Other over-height vehicles struck the Skagit River bridge before the collapse on Thursday, she noted.

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At the height of the flood, engineers feared a bridge on the Pawtuxet was going to collapse, taking with it a nearby dam, which in turn could have taken out another dam.

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Officials said the disused railway bridge had also caused congestion, as well as lorries misjudging the height.

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The MTA was also preparing for the need to protect drivers after the height of the storm, when refreezing and melting conditions could produce dangerous ice buildup on suspension bridge cables.

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The disused railway bridge over the A610 at Sawmills, between Ambergate and Ripley, has been struck by several lorries misjudging the height.

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