TAMAQUA -- Officials in Tamaqua said a state of the art intersection is creating frustration for them and a clear danger to pedestrians.
A tractor trailer clipped a sidewalk at the five points intersection in Tamaqua. It's a place where five roads intersect in the downtown.
Police said sometimes the trailers get even closer and smash into two poles. That worries some pedestrians. Debra Nuttall said she has to be especially careful when crossing five points.
"I think it's a little ridiculous, we're all afraid this is a bad intersection. You have to be careful and stay far away from where you're at because you don't want to get hit by the trucks," said Nuttall.
The Chief of Police, Dave Mattson said the intersection is a danger to pedestrians. You can see the tire marks from tractor trailers on the sidewalk.
"This should not be happening, and we need to do what we can do to protect the public. The answer to me is redesigning this intersections these poles are placed properly so there not taken out on a regular basis," said Mattson.
Others said the problem lies with federal regulations, which PennDOT has to follow when designing new intersections. The five points improvements cost $1.7 million.
Kevin Steigerwalt said something has to be done.
"So they're taking these guidelines and applying them to a town which is 200 years old and that obviously creates some problems," said Steigerwalt.
A PennDOT spokesperson said the agency will meet with Tamaqua officials about their concerns. The Police Chief's warning to pedestrians, make sure you're paying attention when trying to cross five points.