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PROSPECT PARK, Pa. (CBS) – Salvatore Mini was at work on Jan. 4 when surveillance cameras captured a tractor-trailer crashing into a railroad bridge outside his store.
Mini is the owner of Mini Reef, an aquarium store located at Route 420 and Maryland Avenue in Prospect Park.
“It was a good hit. It was a big bang,” Mini said. “The building actually shook.”
The driver was able to back up, but the collision separated the top of the truck. The road was closed for two hours, making it difficult for customers to reach Mini stores. Over time, lost sales add up.
“That’s painful. I mean, if you’re a small business, you’re literally dependent on every customer that comes through your door,” Mini said. “So even if one item doesn’t sell, you can feel it.”
The Borough of Prospect Park is seeking a solution to a decades-old problem of large trucks crashing into railroad bridges. That creates problems for drivers and Amtrak passengers.
Prospect Park Police Chief Dave Madonna said there have been 21 bridge strikes in the past two years despite clear signs stating the clearance is 12 feet, 6 inches.
“Most of the time it’s truckers who don’t pay attention to the signs or don’t even know the height of their rig,” Madonna said.
Police allege the drivers failed to obey traffic signs. Amtrak, which owns the bridge, will then bill trucking companies for repairs and delays on the Northeast Corridor.
“Unless they make this a no-truck road or put up some kind of signage, I think they’re going to keep doing it,” Mini said.
In a statement, PennDOT said in part, “Amtrak may work with local governments to install warning systems to prevent significant damage to the bridge structure.”
But Amtrak said “warning signage and system upgrades are the responsibility of the roadway owner, not the railroad.”
“This issue involves federal, state and local authorities. We can’t handle everything on our own. I think all parties need to be at the table and we need to find a solution,” Madonna said. he said.
Radnor has a similar problem with the King of Prussia Bridge, which has a clearance of only 10 feet, 10 inches.
The town is in the process of installing hanging metal signs in front of the bridge that will alert drivers to stop and turn if a truck hits the bridge.
Other types of warning systems also exist, such as infrared beams that can send a radio signal that causes flashing lights to warn the driver that the truck is too high.
The people of Prospect Park believe either of these options will work.
“We’re all small businesses on the streets here,” Mini said. “So it affects all of us,” Mini said.
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