Tractor-trailer hits Delco rail bridge again, despite warnings; officials struggle for solutions
PROSPECT PARK, Pa. - A Delaware County community is looking for answers and funds as it struggles with tractor trailers striking a rail bridge in town.
In Prospect Park, it has happened again. A truck driver tries to slip his big rig under the railroad bridge over State Route 420 in the center of town and it gets stuck.
David Madonna is the Chief of Police. He said, "I can’t make people more attentive than what they are."
As captured on a nearby security camera, the truck with the red cab and white trailer, hauling firewood from North Carolina, wedges itself under the bridge just before 8 Friday morning. It’s the second time this week, the 6th strike this year and locals have had it.
Trucks stuck under Delaware County railroad bridge prompt residents, officials to search for solutions
It's been an ongoing issue for years and residents finally want something done about it. Tractor trailers are hitting a railroad bridge in Prospect Park, and now the borough is looking for some sort of solution.
Joe Magee runs what he calls "a proper Irish pub" named Marty Magee’s near the bridge. He said, "This could happen at 6 a.m. it could happen at 3 o’clock. Happy hour starts at 4 p.m. here at the pub. It’s hard for us to maintain our business when this whole corridor is shut down."
The trucker apparently missed the signs listing the clearance at 12-feet, 6-inches, and the bright, yellow bumper bar above the opening. Chief Madonna said, "It’s a lot of things, a lot of issues. It’s carelessness, it’s not paying attention to signs, it’s truckers maybe a little too comfortable with their skills. We have this quite a bit."
The metal screeched as the trailer was pushed from under the bridge and backed onto a side street just after noon. As trains whistle by, debris falls to the street.
Pub owner Joe Magee said, "We have signs but in this distracted world we live in - something visual or audible. They have things they call clackers they can hang up."
Prospect Park is considering an early warning system, but cost is a concern. Chief Madonna said the bridge is controlled by Amtrak and SEPTA , 420 is a state road, and Prospect Park is "stuck in the middle."