Hazardous tractor trailer traffic has been a recurring concern on Tinicum’s bucolic roads, particularly, but not limited, to River Road. However, over the past several years, the community has been experiencing an unsettling uptick in 18-wheelers that too often become trapped on impassable areas of Tinicum’s country roadways, then forced to struggle to turn around without damage to property or injury to residents.
At a recent Tinicum Board of Supervisors meeting, Carol Huffman, a longtime River Road resident, made an impassioned plea to the supervisors for more immediate action.
“I need your help, because I’m truly scared about the number of massive 18-wheeler trucks on the move in front of my home — quite a few more than ever before in my ten plus years of living here,” she told the supervisors.
Huffman said one truck became trapped on Tohickon Hill on July 2. Another, she said, recently caused River Road traffic to back up all the way to the middle of Point Pleasant village as it attempted to turn around at Walters Bridge One.
Huffman said she understands these truck drivers don’t choose to put their lives or Tinicum residents’ lives in danger, or impact roadside bike riders, pedestrians or neighbors attempting to cross River Road to get to their cars.
“What do you need from us, as residents, whether it be in Harrisburg or organizing together locally?” she asked. “We will come together to help you, because someone is going to get killed here and no one wants that.”
Supervisor John Cole, with many years of truck driving experience under his belt, responded.
“This dovetails into the recent Golden Pheasant Bridge rehabilitation discussions,” he said. “Our objective must be to get rid of these interstate trucks that are repeatedly and increasingly getting themselves involved in precarious situations directly impacting our community.”
Cole said truck-specific GPS apps are telling large vehicle drivers to travel these roads and expressed frustration that PennDOT’s most current Golden Pheasant Bridge rehab designs are geared to a 42-foot vehicle. Current signage allows for a 45-foot limit.
“It truly baffles me,” he said. “In my opinion the tractor-trailer allowance needs to be eliminated. Trucks will just have to find another way, of which there are at least half a dozen. Yes, there are tolls involved but that’s just the cost of doing business.”
Huffman inquired why large-scale truck traffic is escalating.
Cole referred to an amendment made in 2018 to Act 31, Title 75 of the vehicle code, where PennDOT chose to allow trucks 45 feet long and 102 inches wide on various Bucks County roads, upping the previous maximum width from 96 inches. Tinicum roads impacted by this change are North Park Road, Headquarters Road, Dark Hollow Road, Giegel Hill Road and River Road.
Cole said PennDOT has “self-supervised themselves,” changing the law with its own guidelines, without proper due diligence such as engineering studies on the specific roads that would be impacted.
“We as a township must do that type of work to justify certain truck restrictions, but PennDOT just blankets it,” said Cole, who added some county roads, such as North Park Road, can function within this truck size increase.
“But Giegel Hill?” he asked rhetorically. “You go down that road from Durham Road and there is no warning that in six miles there is a covered bridge. By that point, there is no escape, so trucks end up in one of our resident’s small u-shaped driveways trying to maneuver their massive vehicles out somehow.”
Cole said he’s compiling a list of danger points to provide a more substantive case to PennDOT.
“From Upper Black Eddy all the way to New Hope Borough, I have applied my 35 years of trucking experience to roads which I felt were wholly inappropriate for these sized vehicles,” he said.
Cole wants the township to ask surrounding municipalities for their lists of roadway issues, and then make a serious collective attempt to get PennDOT’s ear.
“Clearly, they see the problem on the Golden Pheasant Bridge, and it’s now become a recurring issue on the Point Pleasant Bridge as well,” he said.
Resident Cindi Gasparre expressed frustration with the board, saying she believes there’s an ongoing lack of interest in allowing Tinicum residents to be part of the solution.
“This is probably the tenth time I have stood before you asking you to allow for the formation of an ‘LTAC’ — a local traffic advisory committee,” she said. “This group could assist you all in pulling together these chronic roadway concerns, not just on River Road, but across the township. The burden currently lies with our one engineer and a spare police department.”
The Tinicum supervisors could not collectively recall why those requests had been sidelined.
“Well, in any case, I would like you all, as our board of supervisors, to please consider this request, again, at your earliest convenience,” said Gasparre.
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
