BUTLER TOWNSHIP -- People who live near a flooded road outside Girardville are concerned it is unsafe.
"It's going to take a fatality to do something about this," Darlene Boyer of Girardville said.
The road along a part of Route 54 is covered in water, making it difficult for drivers to pass. Newswatch 16 witnessed car after car and truck after truck having trouble wading the water.
"It's a pretty dangerous situation up around that curve," Krick's Automotive owner Robert Krick said.
People who live nearby said the flooding problem near Connerton Street started at the beginning of the year.
"A lot of people don't even drive the road if they don't have to," Krick said. "They go the other way."
Although the road is in Butler Township and is maintained by the state, Girardville's mayor, Joe Catizone, is hoping a solution is coming soon.
"I understand that the water lays across both roadways -- both lanes," said the mayor. "So, you know, it could potentially be a dangerous situation, especially for the coal trucks coming down at a high rate."
People Newswatch 16 spoke with said this issue can be especially dangerous for people driving in the area at night.
"At the other end of the road, you'll see they put a sign that says, 'Flooding area.'" Boyer said. "Up at this end, you'll see (another sign). But, at nighttime, you can't see. It's ice, low temperatures."
Newswatch 16 spoke to a representative from PennDOT who said the agency is aware of the issue. He tells us that a swampy area on the other side of the road is causing the flooding and said PennDOT is currently looking into ways to fix the problem.
Boyer said that solution can't come soon enough.
"Hopefully, something is done quick," Boyer said. "I mean, like I said, where is all of our tax dollars? I just don't understand it."
PennDOT said it is not sure how long it will take to find a solution to the problem.