For 3rd Time This Year, Truck Hits Holmdel's Laurel Avenue Bridge

HOLMDEL, NJ — Incredibly, for the third time in 2018 and at least the fourth time in the past two years, a truck hit the Laurel Avenue bridge in Holmdel Friday morning, July 13.

Holmdel Township officials are having a meeting next week with state, NJ Transit and county officials to discuss the major problem of trucks hitting the bridge.

This morning's collision happened at 6:28 a.m. After hitting the low-lying NJ Transit railroad tracks bridge, the truck was able to back up and get out of the roadway, however Laurel Avenue was shut down for almost one hour as crews cleaned the debris.

"Once again, we have SEVERAL posted signs leading to the bridge that clearly state what the clearance is, they are not for decoration and they are 100% ACCURATE," Holmdel police wrote on Facebook. "We are working with multiple levels of government and NJ Transit to come up with a solution to this problem."

The Laurel Avenue bridge carries the North Jersey Coast line tracks. It has a a clearance of 12 feet, five inches. The most recent time a truck hit it was just this past May. All the incidents in the past two years:

Monday, May 21, 2018: A tractor trailer traveling on Laurel Ave. struck the bridge. The trailer became wedged under the bridge and had to be removed by a heavy-duty towing company.

March 19, 2018: VIDEO: FedEx Truck Hits Bridge In Holmdel. A FedEx truck collided with the Laurel Avenue bridge, and a helicopter captured aerial footage of the damage. The impact was so great it shaved the roof off the truck and actually split the truck in two.

March 2, 2016: Truck Gets Wedged Under Laurel Avenue Bridge; the Newark-based female driver had an outstanding criminal warrant in that incident.