Truck drivers getting stuck at Georgetown Road underpass, residents say
CECIL TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — Residents in Cecil Township are raising concerns as more truck drivers are getting stuck at the Georgetown Road underpass.
Neighbors said the problem is getting worse and they want to send a message.
There are warning signs in both directions as drivers approach the underpass on Georgetown Road alerting drivers of the height restrictions. Yet more often than not, drivers are forced to turn around or they're getting stuck and doing serious damage.
Mackenzie Russell lives on the street above the underpass. She said she is all too familiar with box trucks and 18-wheelers getting stuck in the underpass. In fact, she said when she spots a truck on Georgetown Road, she braces for what's to come.
"You'll hear the sound first and then you'll feel the shake from the Earth just moving," Russell said. "They come down this hill or they come up this way, and they full send."
The underpass has a clearance of 11 feet and plenty of warning signs posted in both directions. But it seems drivers are either not paying attention or do not know the height of their vehicles.
After the crashes, Russell and others who live nearby get blocked in.
"If we're trying to get out and traffic is backed up, nobody is letting you out 'cause they're trying to get through," she said. "So, then we're stuck waiting and it just backs up traffic all the way up to the hill."
With these incidents becoming more commonplace, a private Facebook group was created by Russell and Wendy Johnson to keep track.
"We had to do something," Johnson said.
As of Tuesday, it's been 25 days since the last "scalping." She says more than two weeks without an incident could be due to an 11-foot sign made by state Rep. Jason Ortitay, who has been instrumental in bringing the issue to light.
"The comedic signs have helped, but unfortunately, it's not a long-term solution," Johnson said. "We need something more permanent and something that's going to make it safer for everybody."
