The responsibility of repairing the notorious West Broad Street railroad crossing in Tamaqua lies with the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad, according to a decision handed down by an administrative law judge working with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

The rubberized crossing has been deteriorating over the years, to a point where traffic in the southbound lane swerves onto the sidewalk to avoid the bone-jarring ride and possible damage to vehicles. Tamaqua Borough officials have been trying to convince the railroad to fix the crossing for five years, but an argument existed over whose responsibility the repairs are.

That argument ended when Judge Herbert J. Cohen ruled the railroad is solely responsible for the repairs.