In recent years, Boston has seen an uptick in disruptive bridge strikes on Storrow Drive.
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So far in 2024, there have been 14 bridge strikes along Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road in Boston. The record, 17, was set in 2022.
The NBC10 Investigators reviewed Massachusetts crash data and found that, even with increased attention and awareness, we’re heading for the highest number of “Storrowings” in the last 10 years.
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Hot spots for the infamous incidents include the old CSX rail bridge near the B.U. Bridge and the Harvard Street Bridge, which has had over 30 strikes in the last decade.
The Department of Conservation and Recreation is responsible for the maintenance of the roadways along the Charles River.
“We know for a fact that folks, generally, are not looking at the signs and focusing on their GPS,” DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo said.
He explained how DCR has been putting up more signs at entryways onto Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road.
The heavy-duty signs can withstand the strike of an oversized vehicle. The goal is anything to get drivers' attention away from the navigation on their phones.
"The idea is that they be high visibility and that folks can see them. We've reinforced them with some highway-grade plastics and make sure that they can withstand if they do get hit," Arrigo said.
DCR created social media posts last year to bring “Storrowing” awareness to out-of-town drivers. They were shared by local universities to warn incoming students driving their moving trucks into the city and some of the posts had over 600,000 views.
“And we had a move-in week without any Storrow incidents, which was a great success for our agency, and I think for the commonwealth,” Arrigo said.
That’s the hope again this year with Move-In Day, considered "Storrowing" high season, approaching. In 2016, there were five bridge strikes between the end of August and the start of September.
In anticipation of the busy week, DCR just unveiled a new post on social media to increase awareness from out-of-town drivers.
Massachusetts' Department of Conservation and Recreation told us they're in discussion with navigation apps to help create solutions — perhaps drivers in oversized vehicles getting some kind of alert on their GPS about low-clearance bridges — so the frequency of these crashes will start to trend in the opposite direction.
