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PennDOT: Big Rigs Unsafe For Route 93, Broad Mountain

NESQUEHONING — A dangerous stretch of road in Carbon County has caught the attention of state and local officials. It was after a third tractor-trailer cr...
CARB CRASH

NESQUEHONING -- A dangerous stretch of road in Carbon County has caught the attention of state and local officials.

It was after a third tractor-trailer crashed on Route 93 in Nesquehoning in three days that prompted PennDOT to act.

The other two rig crashes happened near the intersection of busy Route 209 as those trucks also lost control of their brakes.

PennDOT say is something has to be done. People living here say they've been saying that for some time.“Someone's going to get killed. Unfortunately, there's going to be some innocent person,” said Diana Binder

“Someone's going to get killed. Unfortunately, there's going to be some innocent person,” said Diana Binder of Nesquehoning.

“When the trucks are coming down full force, there's no way they can control their braking and so forth," said Jean Susko of Nesquehoning.

Because of the steep decline on that part of Route 93, known as Broad Mountain, trucks must stop at the top of the hill before going down in a lower gear.

In the latest crash on April 2, police say the driver failed to do that and ended up on the runaway truck ramp.

At a meeting with local and state officials and residents, PennDOT says it will no longer allow big rigs on that part of 93 as it is clearly a safety hazard.

PennDOT is reviewing several detour routes that will divert trucks off Route 93. One option is diverting rigs off Route 93 in the Hazleton area.

“Probably six months to a year time frame we're going to have a different route for trucks to come through the area,” said PennDOT employee Ron Young.

“There is the safety of everybody else to be concerned, but since they're not following the rules as far as the tractor trailers, they need to be diverted,” said Susko.

For an immediate interim fix, PennDOT will increase the amount and size of those warning signs posted on Route 93.

“We'll say between 70 and 80 signs are going to be either upgraded or added to this signing configuration to that hill. The advance signings going to be larger than normal,” said PennDOT employee Tom Rogal.

PennDOT says those news signs should start showing up in about a month on Route 93.

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