The infamous 11 foot 8 Bridge is being raised and the internet is sad about it
The infamous "11foot 8 Bridge" in Durham, North Carolina has claimed many trucks over the years, but the fall of its tyranny appears to be on the horizon.
The rail crossing has an underpass which has a clearing of — you guessed it — 11 feet, 8 inches. While this is enough clearance for most vehicles, plenty of box trucks have had their roofs ripped off over the years, despite clear signage.
Jürgen Henn has documented crashes for over 11 years and regularly uploads them to his YouTube channel, where a library of the bridge's greatest "hits" awaits you. Henn revealed in a conversation with Strange Carolinas that the videos come from a camera he's set up outside his office window.
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The bridge also has a loyal subreddit with over 55,000 subscribers.
But Henn's latest video documents the end of an era. The "old can opener" is in the process of being raised.
"So on Tuesday, they're going to be working on raising the structure eight inches..." Henn says in the video, before noting plans for the bridge to get a new paint job. "Hopefully, it'll be safer and a little more attractive for the neighborhood." The Durham Transportation Department also took to Twitter to confirm plans to raise the bridge.
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Users have been responding with dismay at the thought of never seeing another 11foot8 "unboxing" video again.
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The announcement is great news for truck drivers, but sad news for the internet. The 11 foot 8 Can Opener — raised, but never forgotten.
Andy is a fellow on Mashable's Culture team. He graduated with a B.S. from the University of North Florida in 2018 and moved to New York to pursue journalism in culture and entertainment. He can (and will) talk for too long about Star Wars and movies in general. His fear of stinging insects and 80+ degree weather will keep him inside forever. He wishes he were shorter.
