Overhead Clearances-Getting quick and accurate measurements

[AlicePence]

I've been looking into a quick and efficient way to gather data on overhead clearances on our highway system. The trick is I need to get the clearance of each lane that goes under the overhead object (which includes; bridges, railroad crossings, signs, signals and anything that hangs over the highway) and don't want to play frogger in the middle of the street . I have my hands on a laser range finder and have found a few apps that can calculate height/distance but not sure how accurate I can get from being on the side of the road.

Thought I would throw this question out to get more ideas on any way to get heights that could be more efficient (and/or more fun) than trying to point and shoot from the side of the road to get height measurements?

Thanks!

[TedKowal]

Every state must maintain and inventory of all Bridge Structures (This includes overhead signs and high masted lights).  Part of this inventory is the  vertical underclearance (Min/Max values).  So checking with your states NBIS Inventory you may be able to obtain the clearance for the majority of your structure leaving you with a few that you would have to obtain manually.

Hope this helps!