NANTICOKE, Pa. — New weight restrictions are in effect for the bridge that crosses the Susquehanna River between the city of Nanticoke and the West Nanticoke section of Plymouth Township.
Safety concerns prompted Luzerne County to lower the weight limit from 15 tons to five tons. That means emergency vehicles such as Nanticoke's fire trucks are too heavy to cross.
"Right now, we do have mutual aid set up with Plymouth borough. They are all residential, commercial structure fire alarms. They will also be dispatched at the same time. I was in contact with the fire chiefs from Jackson Township, Hunlock Creek, and Lake Silkworth," said Mark Boncal, Chief of the Nanticoke Fire Department.
Nanticoke will still respond to fire calls in west Nanticoke, but crews will mainly rely on the South Cross Valley bridge and take a few more minutes to get where they're going. Ambulances will also be affected by the weight restrictions.
"Just yesterday we found out that our EMS Provider from the city of Nanticoke that does provide EMS protection to Plymouth Township in West Nanticoke. They are also over the weight limit. The ambulance is over the five-ton weight limit so, therefore, they will be required to go over the South Cross Valley Bridge as well," added Boncal.
"They have the other bridge down to one lane now, and they have a weight limit on that one, and then to do it on this one too. I don't know we're supposed to do when we live across the river," said Kate Graziano of Hunlock Creek.
Luzerne County says it's trying to decide what to do about the Nanticoke-West Nanticoke Bridge. Options include a partial replacement or building a new bridge altogether.
In the meantime, Plymouth Township is hosting a meeting to talk about fire protection in West Nanticoke. The meeting is set for Thursday evening at the Plymouth Township Municipal Building.