GLENVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -Simon Rieffel lives in Glenville, just a few minutes from what he sings about in his song, “The Can Opener Bridge”. The town is well known on social media for its frequent bridge hits. The humorous song is one more way to encourage drivers to pay attention, even if they miss the many signs and lights that lead to the Glenridge Road Bridge.
“The Can Opener Bridge” was written after a year of Glenridge Road Bridge strikes. Simon Rieffel says the song is a public service announcement to not only make his local community aware, but truckers across the country.
“No matter what they do to prevent trucks from hitting it, they still hit the bridge. So, maybe if truckers get this song stuck in their head, they’ll avoid the bridge,” explained Rieffel. “Even if it prevents one person from hitting the bridge, then my goal is accomplished.”
Rieffel has been performing his song at open mics and most recently at the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School talent show. After hearing the song, Town Supervisor Chris Koetzle said the Glenridge Road Bridge is being described in a positive way; accurately depicting the work the Department of Transportation has put into its safety.
GPS now also notes Glenridge Road Bridge is a low railroad bridge. Koetzle stated the last strike was around last Labor Day. “Never have gone that long without a strike here. We then had a couple of hits over on Maple in that time frame, but not here.”
NEWS10 reported on the Maple Avenue Bridge in December when a tractor-trailer carrying compressed fuel hit it and exploded, with smoke and flames that could be seen for miles. Repairs of the bridge finished in a week on Friday, April 26.
“They had to replace some I-beams that were damaged. Nothing that was structural to the bridge itself,” said Koetzle.
Some local residents even put up their own warning signs after the accident… That’s how Crazy Carl was born. “It started off with my husband putting the skeleton out as something big that would catch everybody’s attention. Maybe it would do something for the community,” explained Kassondra Paull.
Crazy Carl has a Facebook group where members discuss how to prevent bridge strikes from happening. He took a break during construction and went on vacation to Florida.
One day, Rieffel hopes the Town can take more drastic measures for both bridges. “The only real permanent solution would be to raise the bridge, obviously. But, that’s not super realistic.”
Simon Rieffel’s original song, “The Can Opener Bridge”, can be found on his YouTube page by clicking here.
Anthony Krolikowski
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