Reissing Road in Cecil to close for trestle repairs
A trestle on Reissing Road in Cecil Township was damaged Saturday when a truck that did not have sufficient clearance collided with the structure. The road will be closed Thursday and Friday to allow crews to repair the trestle.
Cecil Township Manager Don Gennuso walks under a trestle on Reissing Road that was damaged by a truck Saturday. He said that section of the road has become a concern because of truck traffic.
Reissing Road in Cecil Township will close from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday while construction crews repair a train trestle that was damaged when a truck grazed the structure Saturday.
It was the second time since 2012 that a Waste Management truck collided with the trestle, and Cecil police expect to file a citation in connection with the most recent incident. The accident also prompted the township to reassess the safety of that underpass, keeping in mind that traffic will increase if the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission moves forward with its plan to construct a Southern Beltway access point along Reissing Road.
“It’s a bad underpass no matter how you look at it,” said township Supervisor Andy Schrader, “but if you start bringing more people off of the exit from the turnpike that aren’t familiar with the underpass, you could create problems.”
Traffic will be redirected to Route 980 during the road closure. Reissing Road, or state Route 1010, is a five-mile stretch that connects Route 50 in Cecil with Noblestown Road in McDonald. About 1,500 cars travel on the road daily, according to a state Department of Transportation study from 2013.
The train trestle is owned and maintained by Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway Co. Township Manager Don Gennuso said officials have concerns that an accident could turn into a disaster if it involves train cars carrying natural gas.
“Before, you used to see coal cars going by all the time. Now you’re seeing liquefied natural gas (being transported),” Gennuso said. He added that many of the train cars are transporting natural gas from Westland near the MarkWest cryogenic plant in Chartiers Township.
“We are seeing more frequent traffic on that line, and it’s different materials … we need to be concerned about,” he said.
A representative from the railway company did not return a call seeking comment.
In both trestle accidents, the garbage trucks did not have sufficient clearance, which is about 11 feet according to traffic signs. Police Chief Shawn Bukovinsky said the truck driver was not injured and left the scene Saturday, then notified a company supervisor, who contacted police.
Gennuso said many truck drivers now rely solely on their GPS systems, and it has become commonplace for drivers to get stuck near underpasses in areas where they cannot turn around.
Both officials said they would like to arrange a meeting with PennDOT and the Turnpike Commission to come up with a plan to reduce traffic on Reissing Road and make the underpass a safer area.