A Proposal to Move East Hampton's Windmill to Cedar Street

The photo here was taken from North Main Street, East Hampton looking north down the hill to the railroad trestle overpass. You can see it clearly on the left in the background.

Since truck clearance is only 10’ going under the underpass, there have been occasions where the top of trucks have hit the overpass and even become lodged there.

A series of large metal panels adorn the side of the overpass to warn truckers of the problem. In the past, there was a single yellow sign just before the underpass reading 10-FOOT LOW CLEARANCE. It hasn’t done any good.

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As a result of the continuing need to repair the metal panels on the side of the underpass, the village has put up these two giant 10-FOOT LOW CLEARANCE signs before you reach that last sign. It hasn’t helped. Last week, another truck banged into the overpass.

I think the real problem is the fact that Hook Mill, the historic symbol of the town, sits directly behind two of these three yellow signs and distracts drivers from noticing the 10-FOOT LOW CLEARANCE warnings.

The solution is to move the windmill away from there. It could go on North Main Street on the other side of the overpass where, on Cedar Street, we have a historic farm museum that’s just opened. The mill would do fine in that museum. And then it will be perfectly clear, even to the most distracted of truck drivers, that there is a 10-foot clearance after the three yellow warning signs and, as a result, the trucks will once and for all stop driving into the side of the overpass.