Warrington and St Helens councils have discussed plans to tackle the recurring problem of vehicles hitting the Vulcan Bridge.
There has been a recent spate of accidents on Alder Root Lane near Winwick where vehicles exceeded the bridge’s height limit.
Images of the damaged high-sided van were widely circulated on social media.
It is thought that many drivers unfamiliar with the area trust sat navs.
The issue has been raised with Warrington Borough Council and St Helens Borough Council to resolve the issue.
Advance warning signs were in place, however, some large vehicles were still attempting to cross the bridge.
It is understood the improved signage scheme will be implemented by the end of this financial year.
There will also be a process to reduce the speed limit from the national speed limit to 30mph from Alder Root Lane to Wargrave Road.
A Warrington Borough Council spokesman said: “We are currently working with St Helens Borough Council on the issues of Alder Root Lane and Vulcan Bridge.
“Signages on the two approaches to the bridge suggest height restrictions that exceed the normally required national standards.
“A common problem is that drivers tend to ignore the signs and trust their sat nav.
“As the Highway Authority we still have a responsibility to sign off on such restrictions and we are upgrading the signage on the Warrington side of the bridge.
“One of the problems is that once the super-high vehicles come onto Alder Root Lane, there’s nowhere for the vehicle to turn around before the bridge and they’ll have to back up.
“The improved signage scheme will provide additional signage on Alder Lane to emphasize the low bridge to drivers as much as possible before turning onto Alder Root Lane.
“The signage scheme is scheduled to be implemented by the end of this financial year.
“We will also start the process with St Helens Borough Council to reduce the speed limit from the national speed limit to 30mph from Alder Root Lane to Wargrave Road.
“St Helens Borough Council has also installed three advanced warning signs on Wargrave Road at its junction with Bradlegh Road and Vulcan Park Way.”
Newton-le-Willows East MP Seve Gomez-Aspron added: “Careless driving has been an issue in the area for many years.
“Ultimately, drivers are responsible for their actions and all incidents are reported to police and Network Rail.
“The bridge is owned by Network Rail and is entirely in Warrington, so we’ve been liaising with Warrington Borough Council to try and resolve these issues.
“We’ve been liaising with other councils to help us try to mitigate the problems caused by poor driving.
“Based on working closely with both councils, and a disappointing lack of interest from Network Rail, we have the following plan of action.”
