Keeping rigs off Broad Mountain an uphill battle
Maybe it was a sign of things to come.
In November 1959 — Friday the 13th — to be exact, local and state officials gathered in Hudsondale, Packer Township, to cut the ribbon on improvements to what we now know as Route 93.
State Sen. William Scott of Lansford and state Rep. John Bonner of Summit Hill joined officials to open the highway that replaced an old wagon trail that linked the Panther Valley to Hazleton hundreds of years before. Traffic began using it the next day.
It replaced 17 hairpin turns that wagons and later motorists used to slow the way down, and make the ascent easier. More importantly, it wiped away what was known as a death curve at Shady Rest, a waypoint on Broad Mountain.
The new road featured sweeping curves that are still part of a two-mile descent to the intersection that connects it to Route 209.
It was hailed by many as a new gateway to the Hazleton area, which was in the middle of rebuilding itself from a declining coal economy.
And for many years, it did exactly that.
But the progress it brought cleared the path for larger, faster and heavier vehicles that brought new problems to the community it served.
Though there were no fatalities early on, the 1970s brought attention to a new problem when traffic went awry.
The solution? The runaway truck ramp that exists these days. Since it opened in 1975, I’m certain it’s saved the lives of many a panicked truck driver.
As in the past, though, as those trucks got even larger and heavier, something more was needed.
Traffic downhill from the industries to the north had a hard time traversing the mountain. Crashes and injuries continued.
A required stop for the big, southbound rigs atop the mountain to reduce gear and continue was heeded — sometimes.
Then, in the spring of 2016, mishaps involving three rigs on three consecutive days signaled the need for change.
About a year later, the state Department of Transportation decided more signs would be the answer.
Just outside Hazleton, PennDOT placed signs banning southbound tractor-trailers from the sweeping mountain curves and suggesting detours.
Planners hoped truckers would head south on Route 309 through McAdoo to Route 54 in Hometown then to Route 209 into Nesquehoning.
But you know what’s been said about the best laid plans.
PennDOT officials put up the signs, but left enforcement to area police.
The problem: Between the Hazleton city limits and the Nesquehoning borough line, there aren’t many officers available.
Nesquehoning has a huge area to cover, and can’t always stand watch on the state road.
Tiny Beaver Meadows struggles to maintain its department with only one or two officers on staff.
The rest of the territory is covered by state police at Troop N, who don’t always have the resources to post a sentinel.
Lately, the increase in warehouses to the north have brought more truck traffic to the Broad, and for whatever reason, more southbound traffic despite the signs warning against the practice.
A recent mishap caught on video showed a runaway rig missing the ramp and speeding through the T-intersection before coming to rest in woods across Route 209.
The incident put John McArdle, Nesquehoning’s emergency management coordinator and a first responder, in high gear.
McArdle approached borough council recently looking for help to put the brakes on future incidents that could prove tragic down the road.
He called for a meeting with state and local officials to work toward some type of solution.
I’d wager that somewhere, there’s probably technology that can help solve the problem, but requiring it for every rig on the road might be hard to implement and enforce.
Cameras like those police use to keep track of traffic entering or leaving their jurisdiction could snap photos and identify offending vehicles.
For rig drivers who may be unfamiliar with the area, existing signs may not be readily noticed, sometimes hidden in clusters and easily missed by someone behind the wheel.
PennDOT might consider multilingual, gantry style signs that truckers can see.
Something that might help in the short term could be increasing awareness.
Maybe warehouses and shipping locations could offer drivers handouts warning of the Broad Mountain hazards and recommending the detour routes.
And possibly, heavy fines could be levied against drivers and their CDL licenses affected if they’re nabbed anywhere past the last possible detour signs on their route.
State and local officials need creative, concrete solutions in the coming months that might help save lives. But there just aren’t any fast and easy answers.
For them, keeping big rigs off the mountain is an uphill battle.
ED SOCHA | tneditor@tnonline.com
Ed Socha is a retired newspaper editor with more than 40 years’ experience in community journalism.
The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.