Drivers in Delaware who suddenly spot bright orange plastic balls hanging over the road may be wondering if they missed some strange new art project or traffic experiment. But as NBC10 Philadelphia reporter Tim Furlong explained in his report, the purpose is much more practical than that.
The so-called “clanker” balls are being installed to warn truck drivers before they slam into low railroad bridges, a problem that has happened so often in some parts of Delaware that state officials have turned to a loud, highly visible solution. The idea is simple: if an overheight truck hits the hanging balls before it reaches the bridge, the driver should realize the vehicle is too tall and stop before causing a much bigger mess.
According to Furlong, the latest round of these warning devices is going up at the Chapel Street Bridge in Newark, where bridge strikes have become a familiar and frustrating problem. He said just about everyone in the area has either seen it happen or has come close to seeing it happen.
That sounds like an exaggeration until you hear the numbers.
A Bridge That Keeps Getting Hit
In his report, Furlong said the Chapel Street Bridge is only 12 feet tall, and despite clear warnings, trucks keep trying to pass underneath it anyway.
He reported that the bridge has been struck 60 times since 2005. That is an eye-catching number on its own, but it also helps explain why DelDOT has decided it needs something more aggressive than just another sign.
Furlong even referenced video he shot there back in 2015, showing that this is not some sudden new issue. The most recent strike, he said, happened earlier this month, only days before the new clankers were installed.
He described a white box truck getting completely stuck under the bridge, and when he passed by again about an hour later, it looked like crews had ripped it out. That image says a lot about why Delaware transportation officials are taking this seriously.
A truck getting wedged under a bridge is not just embarrassing for the driver. It can tie up traffic, damage infrastructure, and create headaches far beyond the road itself.
Why The Clankers Were Added
Furlong explained that every bridge strike at Chapel Street can cause major disruption because busy rail lines run through town above the bridge.
That means the issue is bigger than a stuck truck. A strike can ripple outward into rail service and broader transportation problems, which turns what might look like a local driving mistake into something much more disruptive.
So DelDOT has now put clankers on the north side of the bridge, with the south side set to get them soon as well. According to Furlong, the bridge will also receive the same broader treatment used at nearby Casho Mill Road, including clankers, sensors, lights, and plenty of warning signs.
That layered approach makes sense. One sign is easy to ignore. A sign plus sensors plus flashing alerts plus a loud overhead obstacle is harder to miss.
And honestly, that seems to be the whole philosophy behind the bright orange balls. They are impossible to overlook, and that is exactly the point.
What Happens When A Truck Hits Them
The clankers are meant to give drivers one last unmistakable warning before the bridge itself does the job in a much harsher way.
Furlong described them as bright orange, heavy-duty plastic balls hanging at clearance height some distance before the low bridge. If a truck is too tall, it hits the balls first and hears the impact before reaching the overpass.
That is why they are called clankers. They are supposed to make noise, grab attention, and tell the driver, in the bluntest possible way, that something is wrong.
But the system is not foolproof.
In the report, DelDOT spokesperson C.R. McLeod said there have still been cases where truck drivers hit the balls, slow down, realize what happened, and then keep going anyway. McLeod said some drivers stop, check what happened, and still proceed into the bridge.
That detail is almost hard to believe, but it also explains why transportation departments can only do so much. At some point, no safety device can completely overcome bad judgment.
Delaware Says The System Is Working
Even with those holdouts, Tim Furlong said DelDOT believes the clanker strategy has worked “really, really well.”
He pointed to Casho Mill Road, another low bridge area that got clankers in 2022. According to the report, that site used to be Delaware’s most frequently hit bridge, but strikes there have dropped sharply since the system went in.
Furlong said the same general success has been seen at other clanker sites in Milford and near Delaware Park. That track record appears to be why the state is now expanding the idea to more trouble spots, including another low rail bridge in Newport.
This is one of those fixes that sounds almost goofy until you hear the results. Hanging orange balls over the road is not elegant, and it certainly is not high-tech in the flashy sense, but if crashes are going down, drivers probably care a lot more about effectiveness than style.
Sometimes the best infrastructure solution is not the one that looks smartest on paper. It is the one that drivers actually notice in time.
Why So Many Truck Strikes Keep Happening
Furlong also mentioned one popular theory for at least some of the bridge hits in Newark.
He said some people believe a number of the strikes may involve University of Delaware students moving in or out, often driving large rental box trucks they are not used to handling. That theory has not been presented as a proven answer to every crash, but it does fit the kind of situation many people can picture.
A driver who is used to a sedan or SUV may not think much about height clearance until it suddenly matters. And in a college town, move-in and move-out seasons probably bring more inexperienced box-truck drivers onto local roads.
That does not excuse the mistakes, especially when the bridge is clearly marked. But it may help explain why this problem keeps repeating.
It also makes the case for the clankers stronger. If drivers are unfamiliar with oversized vehicles, then a loud physical warning before the bridge may do more than another posted clearance sign ever could.
Other States Are Starting To Notice
One of the more interesting parts of Furlong’s report was that Delaware’s orange-ball system is now drawing outside attention.
McLeod told NBC10 that other states, including Ohio and California, have contacted DelDOT to ask about the setup because they are dealing with similar bridge-strike problems. He said municipalities and other agencies have reached out to learn more about the system.
That is a pretty strong sign that this is no longer just a quirky local tactic. If other states are calling, then Delaware may have stumbled onto one of those rare public works ideas that is both simple and exportable.
And that may be the most fascinating part of the story. Traffic safety discussions are usually filled with expensive technology, long studies, and complex engineering language. This solution, by contrast, is wonderfully blunt. Hang something loud and obvious in front of the bridge and give the driver one more chance not to do something foolish.
A Strange Sight With A Clear Purpose
So yes, the bright orange clanker balls hanging over Delaware roads look unusual.
But as Tim Furlong’s report makes clear, they are there because too many drivers have ignored signs, gambled on low bridges, and ended up stuck underneath them. At Chapel Street alone, that has happened dozens of times.
DelDOT’s answer is not subtle, but it is easy to understand. Make the warning visible. Make it physical. Make it noisy.
And if that keeps even a few more trucks from smashing into low railroad bridges, then those strange orange balls may end up being one of the smartest simple fixes on the road.
Raised in a small Arizona town, Kevin grew up surrounded by rugged desert landscapes and a family of hunters. His background in competitive shooting and firearms training has made him an authority on self-defense and gun safety. A certified firearms instructor, Kevin teaches others how to properly handle and maintain their weapons, whether for hunting, home defense, or survival situations. His writing focuses on responsible gun ownership, marksmanship, and the role of firearms in personal preparedness.
