NANTICOKE, Pa. — A meeting was held on Thursday over the weight limit placed on the Nanticoke Bridge last week.
Frustration and lots of questions from residents at a special Plymouth Township supervisor's meeting Thursday night after lower weight restrictions on the Nanticoke / West Nanticoke bridge will forbid first responders from crossing the Susquehanna River.
"That really took me by surprise because I was not expecting to find out by text message," said Chief Mark BonCal of the Nanticoke Fire Department.
It's been a little more than a week since Nanticoke Fire Chief Mark Bonzal found out about the weight change. Originally posted for 15 tons, a recent inspection lowered the bridge's weight limit to only allow vehicles weighing less than five tons.
Now, he and other first responders say fire and EMS crews are forced to take alternate routes like the Route 29 bridge. That adds several minutes to response times.
"We are going to do the best we can and still provide fire protection in the West Nanticoke section of the township," added Chief BonCal.
Along with lowering the bridge's weight limit due to its poor structural condition, Luzerne County is also looking to spend millions of dollars to close and rebuild the bridge in the near future.
"When the construction starts, it probably will gridlock, and everyone's worried about fire and EMS. The systems in place may be stressed from what they have," said Thomas Deretchin of Plymouth Township.
Thomas Deretchin of Plymouth Township says there are a lot of unknowns for first responders when it comes to what effect the weight limit change and possible closures could have on response times. But for emergencies that could mean life or death, he says a fix needs to happen now.
"In the event that there is an emergency where time is the essence, we need to solve that problem before the bridge construction starts," added Deretchin.
Chief Bonzal submitted an exemption to Luzerne County and Penndot for emergency vehicles to cross the bridge under certain circumstances.
He does not know, at this time, if that exemption will be granted.