Notorious East Street Bridge Has Its Own Twitter Page

The East Street Bridge in Westwood has made quite a name for itself as one of the most dangerous underpasses around. And now it’s making a name for itself

A box truck slammed into the bridge in dramatic fashion last week (watch the amazing video released by the Westwood Police here), and another truck hit the bridge Monday, though this one was less serious.

“Just a little love tap! Don’t worry I’m OK!,” the bridge tweeted after the crash. That’s right... the bridge tweeted.

A Twitter account was set up soon after the dramatic Aug. 17 crash. The low bridge taunts incoming box trucks in its Twitter stream and updates followers of the aftermath.

At just 10’6” high, the commuter rail bridge is a hazard for any tall vehicle. Despite a lengthy history accidents, there are no plans to address the problem. At one point there was discussion of doing so, but nearby residents were concerned about increased traffic if it was raised.

Should the town look into raising or widening the bridge, the issue would first have to go into the hands of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which owns the bridge.

Below is a brief history of incidents that have occurred under or near the bridge (information was provided by the Westwood Police Department):

• 1986 - 12 accidents
• 1987 - Seven accidents
• 1988 - 13 accidents
• 1992 - Four crashes, two in which cars hit the curb or the wall, one in which a car rear-ended another vehicle and a fourth involving a truck that hit the bridge.
• 2008 - Five accidents, four in which trucks hit the bridge and another involving a drunk driver who hit the curb and ended up in Morrison Field.
• 2009 - Five accidents, two in which trucks hit the bridge, one in which a truck hit the bridge and rolled over and hit a car (the car then hit a telephone pole), another involving a car that hit the curb and wall on one side and another involving a car that hit the curb and struck another oncoming car.
• 2010 - Eight accidents: Three involving trucks that hit the bridge, two in which cars hit the curb, one in which a car hit the curb and then hit an oncoming car, one involving a car that hit another oncoming vehicle, and another involving a car pulling a trailer.
• 2011 (Year to Date) - One incident in May involved a truck hitting the bridge, another involved cars crashing under the bridge, another involved a truck full of cookies that hit the bridge, one involving a wine truck hitting the bridge and spilling wine bottles onto the ground. In late September, one driver was following a GPS device and went under the bridge, which hit an air conditioning unit that was on top of the truck, knocking it onto the windshield of the car behind.