For more than a hundred years, the Montague Street bridge has stood unyielding in the path of trucks, vans and buses. Despite being hit hundreds of times, there has been no action to increase the gap between asphalt and overpass.

With just three meters clearance, the bridge is among the lowest on Victoria’s traffic network. It is also the most notorious.

A truck trying, and failing, to pass under the bridge in 2017.Credit:Leigh Henningham

Every few months, the Montague Street bridge can be relied upon to dispatch yet another crumpled challenger that has come off second best.

The unrelenting nature of these crashes has brought the structure city-wide fame and even its own website. When a truck hit the bridge just five days after lockdown lifted, the general feeling was that Melbourne was finally open again.

Several factors have been blamed for drivers ploughing right into it, from a lack of attention to road signs to customers of a nearby rental business not understanding the height of their vehicle.

So, why can’t they fix it once and for all?

There are two obvious solutions: one is to lower the road that passes underneath, the other is to increase the height of the bridge itself. The standard minimum clearance of a bridge is 5.4 metres.

This toilet paper truck did not have a soft landing in 2011.Credit:Enzo Tomasiello

In the wake of a serious crash in 2016, when a coach smashed into the bridge and injured six people, then VicRoads chief executive John Merritt said the cost of lowering Montague Street would be investigated.

A fresh appraisal never took place because it was not a new issue. When VicRoads looked back at multiple investigations into the bridge that were conducted over the years they concluded it wasn’t viable.

There were several engineering difficulties cited, including underground tidal flows that would cause regular flooding if the road was lowered.

A Commonwealth Games bus hit the birdge in 2006.Credit:Nicole Bourman

That is one of the reasons for the bridge being so snug in the first place. In 1934, the local council approved a plan to increase the height of the road by two feet (61 centimetres) due to constant flooding.

Another factor cited by VicRoads for not pursuing the plan was the relocation of services, like gas, water and electricity.

Surrounding roads would also have to be redesigned for the streets leading into Montague Street, while there would also be acquisition of neighbouring properties. In short, it would be very expensive.

Raising the bridge was considered even less viable, due to several sets of tram tracks that run over the top as part of the 109 route between the city and Port Melbourne.

There is also a tram depot nearby that would complicate things further (and add to the cost).

A skip came off a truck when it hit the bridge in 2020.Credit:Joe Armao

Instead, VicRoads has installed 26 signs to warn drivers about the low clearance. There are also height detection gantries which make a sound when a tall vehicle drives underneath.

While it hasn’t completely fixed the problem, VicRoads says it has improved things dramatically.

There have been 11 bridge strikes recorded since 2018, according to their figures, compared to 18 in 2016 alone. It should be noted that this period includes long stretches of lockdowns.

Are there any other ways of reducing those numbers even further?

Traffic engineer Rob Morgan, who conducted a safety review of the bridge in 2016, said there were other options available to reduce the danger.

He suggested a system involving a set of traffic lights immediately in front of the bridge that would turn red if an over-height vehicle was detected.

A campervan became stuck in 2019.

The rationale was that drivers would be more likely to pay attention to a red light than any other sign.

The difficult part, he said, would be how to manage the traffic situation that arose once a vehicle was stopped, perhaps involving someone from the police or VicRoads to come and let them out.

“You need something direct,” he said.

The crash scene at the Montague Street bridge in February 2016. Credit:Jason South

While the state government has embarked on a multibillion-dollar program to remove level crossings, Mr Morgan said the traffic chaos caused by a Montague Street bridge crash was well down on the list of priorities.

“If someone hits that bridge with the top 100 millimetre of a van, even if it’s every three months, that’s not going to rate very highly,” he said.

“So they would be looking to get a more cost-effective solution.”

There you have it, the Montague Street bridge and why it’s too hard to fix.

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