North Carolina: After countless cringe-inducing viral videos, 11-foot-8 'can opener' bridge to be raised

DURHAM, N.C. -- The 11-foot-8-inch bridge in Durham, also known as the "can opener," will be raised this week in hopes of limiting accidents.

The North Carolina Railroad Overpass at Gregson Street in Durham will be closed to traffic from Oct. 23 to Nov. 3 while it is raised.

The bridge is well known in the region and nationally because, despite numerous signs warning drivers how low the bridge is, tall vehicles routinely hit it.

It's happened so many times that there's a website dedicated to showing the crashes.

The bridge will be raised from 11-feet-8-inches to 12-feet-4 inches to improve safety and reduce infrastructure damage from vehicle strikes, the North Carolina Railroad Company said in a tweet.

Southbound Gregson though traffic will be directed to use Morgan Street, Main Street, Buchanan Blvd. and Chapel Hill Street.

The total project costs $500,000.