Most famous bridges are known for either their beauty or their cultural or architectural significance, but one seemingly innocuous bridge in Durham, North Carolina has a reputation far greater than its actual size.

The 11-foot-eight-inch bridge – or the “can-opener,” as it’s often called – was recently raised to 12 feet, four inches in hopes that’d reduce the number of too-tall trucks and vans that get a surprise roof removal driving underneath it.

Has the construction project reduced the number of accidents? Perhaps. But it hasn’t eliminated them.

In the latest video footage from January 3, 2020, a Penske truck lumbers through the light, ignoring the orange 12’4” signs posted on either side as well as the flashing “Over Height, Must Turn” sign, and barely makes it through the bridge, knocking some plastic from the roof of the vehicle onto the ground.

So close, yet so far. A second angle shows the barrier scrape off a thin layer of the roof, like a cheese slicer over a wheel of parmesan. It’s the third such collision the bridge’s experienced since its renovation two months ago.



“Raising the bridge just made people more confident,” one YouTube commenter remarked. At least this driver made it through to the other side. Other past bridge-hitters, like this other Penske truck, have found themselves firmly wedged underneath.

In 2008, a Durham resident took documenting accidents into his own hands. Jurgen Henn pointed a webcam at the intersection and managed to capture more than 100 accidents over a decade.

For an extensive video history of the infamous bridge, check out the YouTube backlog here, or the website dedicated to the bridge, 11foot8.com.