Elizabeth Township officials worried about impacts of increased heavy truck traffic
ELIZABETH, Pa. (KDKA) — Heavy truck traffic is increasing in Elizabeth Township as a fourth fracking well site has been approved.
And with it come concerns about infrastructure and keeping the roads safe.
"There are dozens of trucks that come during the week," one resident said.
Over time, the township says those trucks are causing major problems on their bridges that could lead to catastrophic damage.
"One of our two dozen bridges is being replaced right now, and a result of a lot of the damage to that bridge was related to weight limits not being abided by over years of travel," Elizabeth Township Police Chief Ken Honick said.
Honick says in addition, there have been several accidents related to the fracking sites, all of which were hauling heavy loads and driving on roads they shouldn't be.
One involved two sand trucks crashing into each other, the chief said.
"They rear-ended one another and when we went down to inspect those vehicles that day, the sand truck that struck the other sand truck at Douglas Hollow Road was weighing in at 96,000 pounds," Honick said. "Well overweight."
According to PennDOT, the maximum gross weight of any vehicle is 80,000 pounds. That's why Honick says his department now has one of its officers trained in the DOT program to specifically keep an eye on commercial drivers breaking those weight limits and other restrictions before it's too late.
He says the township has more than 150 miles of roads and more than two dozen bridges. But dealing with constant, and costly, repairs aren't in the township's budget.
For example, a bridge repair on Lovedale Hollow Road comes with a price tag of $768,000
"If you multiply that by two dozen, it would cripple the financial situation for the township," he said.
While Honick says the program is meant to protect the roads and those who travel on them, some local business owners are worried about what it means for them.
"When local police start these DOT cops, they start picking on us for this minor stuff," said Mike Plavchak of Plavchak Construction.
Others complained that the township doesn't have weight limit signs on some roads, leaving truck drivers in the dark. Honick says public works is in the process of adding those signs.
He also promised the program is for safety and monitoring infrastructure only..
"We're not involved in any sort of program startup for the purpose of revenue generation," Honick said. "It's just not how we operate."
I'm told the township paid for the truck and equipment needed for the dot program - through its fiscal budget.
The chief says they're constantly working on grants - to get more money - to improve their roads.