PennDOT removes loose concrete over dangerous Washington County overpass, residents calling for change
After several truck drivers have been getting stuck at the Georgetown Road Underpass, the decision has been made to briefly shut it down due to safety concerns.
For years, trucks have been ignoring the height restrictions of the overpass leading them to get stuck. Over time, it has caused significant damage to the bridge and most recently, it loosened a concrete block that had drivers worried for their safety.
"Safety is the most important thing right now," said Cecil Township Fire Chief Ted Wolford, and now he can breathe a sigh of relief.
That's because the huge piece of concrete that was dangling off of the Georgetown Road Underpass has been removed.
"That piece of concrete was on the verge of falling onto the roadway and god forbid it fell onto a vehicle and hurt or killed somebody," he said.
The underpass, which has a clearance of 11 feet, has plenty of warning signs and yet Wolford said he fields at least one to two calls per week for truck drivers not paying attention and getting stuck.
Today, however, was different. He got a call from a concerned resident who was terrified that the piece of concrete was going to fall on someone.
"There has been ongoing concern that this thing is going to fall apart," said Wendy Johnson. "Somebody is going to hit it and it's going to be done for."
When Wolford took one look he knew the road needed to be shut down for driver's safety. He immediately reached out to PennDOT and within minutes, a crew was on the scene.
"You could tell they thought it was a problem," Johnson said. "They were even walking on a piece and it was actually moving."
PennDOT closed the road briefly while the concrete block was removed.
Now, it has reopened and been deemed safe for traffic.
In the meantime, State Representative Jason Ortitay is working to secure funding to redesign the bridge. Residents in the area are also pushing for flashing lights on the underpass to alert drivers of the height restriction.
