Low Bridge

[Tom S.]

quote:Originally posted by exav8tr

BTW, These atlases can usually be found at the hiway truck stops. Haven't seen one in a book store yet....

Or you can get one here: http://www.amazon.com/Mcnally-Motor-.../dp/052894259X

[Rondo]

The McNally Atlas is well worth it! I have a sister-in-law that got mine for me and she got it wholesale and it still cost me the same price as the truckstop price of $80+. That Amazon price is a steal! If you get one that's the place to get it and it's the 2010 edition too! I'm sure it is in the process of being printed but it's worth the wait! I keep mine in the TV and use it even if I'm not towing the Monte! OK, back to the subject! The website with all the States listed and the low clearances is also a great site! Have it bookmarked for me when we're on the road and have the laptop up and running! We have several R/R overpasses here in Omaha and they are not only low but also narrow to get through! Two cars can make it through but I would not try it with my TV and a car or two TVs let alone a larger truck coming at me. There are scares allover the tops of the "tunnels"! I don't recall seeing them on the website listing for Nebraska however! We had one flatbed semi carrying large electrical transformers going north on I-680 around Omaha about two years ago that tried to move an Interstate overpass. They closed the street over the Interstate for almost a year until they finally figured out it was safe to drive over again. They only closed 680 for about 12 hours to traffic heading northbound however!

[sreigle]

$80 bucks, wow! I got mine at a major book store, either Borders or Barnes & Noble. It says 19.95 on the back cover. It is a 2007 edition, so the price may have gone up. But, old or not, I'll keep it. I figure at worst it will list a low clearance bridge that has since been replaced. But I doubt any new low clearance bridges are being built. I hope not, anyhow. Mine is not a "deluxe" edition, I don't think, so maybe that's the difference.

[sreigle]

quote:Originally posted by exav8tr

This has been my biggest fear since getting our rig two years ago. I always check my routing with the "Motor Carriers Atlas" published by Rand McNally. It includes all (?), the low clearance routes in each state.

Phil, your "?" is well placed. A couple of years ago we came upon two areas a quarter mile apart that were marked something around 11 feet. I can't remember, exactly. These were in either NE OK or western AR. I'm having a little trouble remembering exactly where they were but it was, I think, near Siloam Springs, AR. It was nice, scenic road until we made a turn and were confronted with the low clearance signs with no place to turn around and too much traffic to try, anyhow.

The low clearance was a rock ledge that hung out over the entire southbound lane. The northbound lane was clear. We were, of course, southbound. After waiting for northbound traffic to clear I drove south in the northbound lanes for the quarter mile of the first ledge, flashers going, headlights on, hand on horn. No problem. A quarter mile later we reached another that was a bit longer but same problem, one lane covered. Plus, this one went around a curve I could not see around. As I motored down the northbound lane a car came around the curve and immediately pulled onto the shoulder to allow us to pass. Right after that, a semi did the same thing. They were patient. I suspect the locals have seen this happen more than once. We were just glad to be past it. This one was NOT in the atlas.

Vicki checked her notes. We were on Arkansas state highway 59 in NW Arkansas. So we were north of Siloam Springs. But I cannot recall the town. Maybe someone else knows where that is?

[Rondo]

Steve-- I'll bet your Atlas is a paperback version. The ones for $80 or $50+ through Amazon are spiral ringed and the pages are laminated so if I spill my beverage on it, it won't wrinkle and stain! I was going to say there can't be any cliffs in Nebraska that are 11 ft from the roadway unless you are taking the scenic route down the Niabrara River!

[sreigle]

You are correct, Rondo. Mine is essentially physically identical to a standard Rand McNally road atlas. This 2007 model is holding up well. It replaced the one I bought in 1996, that also held up well. But it doesn't ride in the cab with me. It stays in the Montana and I use it when planning our routes.

Thanks for the clarification. That explains the price difference. I thought someone was getting ripped off if they were paying $80 for what I got for $20.