Trucks stuck under Delaware County railroad bridge prompt residents, officials to search for solutions

PROSPECT PARK, Pa. - 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.

It happens so often, that it's not a shock to locals anymore.

Over the last two years, there have been more than two dozen bridge strikes involving oversized trucks that aren’t able to clear the 12-foot 6-inch bridge along Lincoln Avenue.

"I'm just hoping that somewhere along the way, I never have to talk about this again, but with human nature, I doubt that's going to happen." said David Madonna, Chief of Police for Prospect Park Borough.

Just four days into 2024, a tractor trailer attempted to clear the bridge and sheered off the top of its truck. Madonna blames carelessness for a majority of incidents.

"The vast majority of the time we have truck drivers who aren't paying attention to the signs posted or they don't know the true height of their truck." said Madonna.

Not to mention that every time an incident happens, it impacts local businesses. Town staples like Marty Magee’s Irish Pub can be affected, sometimes hours on end, if the road needs to shut down.

As for any future plans, Madonna says multiple stakeholders would need to be involved in the decision-making.

Amtrak makes any repairs necessary when a vehicle comes into contact with a bridge, but says any warning signs or system upgrades are the responsibility of the road owner, not the railroad.

In a statement from PennDOT, they mentioned there are currently static low clearance signs notifying the drivers of the restricted height.

Their operations department recommends that Amtrak work with the local municipality to install a warning system to prevent substantial damage to their bridge structure.

Amtrak has mentioned they’d be in favor of a proposed system similar to one that Radnor Township just suggested.

They're in the process of installing a dangling metal sign before the bridge that'll alert the driver to turn around.

Currently, there are no official proposals regarding the bridge.