LAUREL RUN, Pa. — There's a new sign along Pine Run Road in Laurel Run warning trucks over 10.5 tons not to turn left down East Northampton Street.
This narrow road is also known as Giants Despair. It's where a road race called Giants Despair Hill Climb takes place every year.
It's also where a cross now sits. Louis Walkowiak was killed here in January. State police said he was driving up the road when a cement truck crashed into his vehicle. Troopers said the truck driver ignored other signs on Giants Despair telling trucks not to continue down.
Tom Turinski was neighbors with Walkowiak on Pine Run Road.
"I hope they enforce it because that's what we need, more enforcement," Turinski said.
Bill Snee lives at the bottom of the hill. He hopes the new sign makes a difference, but he and others agree the problem seems to be two-fold. Truck drivers are too reliant on their GPS, and they are using Giants Despair as a way to save time behind the wheel.
"I think it's a great idea as long as everybody obeys it and they don't pay attention to their GPS that sends them down Giants Despair," Snee said.
"We've seen big rigs coming up and down the hill, and it's probably that they're using a shortcut from 115 and 309," Neighbor Bonnie Long said.
Neighbors we spoke to said while the new signage is important, what they would also like to see a heavier state police presence.
"For the enforcement, yeah, it's safer. Once word gets around that they could be getting ticketed because of a big tractor trailer," Turinski said.
State police said charges are pending against the driver of the cement truck involved in that deadly crash.