Pennsylvania Runaway Truck Ramp Seen As Unsafe
A truck runaway ramp on Route 93 in Carbon County, Pa., will be replaced with one using safer methods
A truck runaway ramp on Route 93 in Carbon County, Pa., will be replaced with one using safer methods.
According to the Allentown, Pa., Morning Call, county commissioners have been asking the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to replace the ramp since 1997. But calls for replacement intensified after a truck had to use the ramp in late April. The truck was damaged beyond repair and the driver had rib and head injuries.
PennDOT says it will start looking for contractors to do the work next year, using a completely new design. The ramp will be built uphill from the current one, using smooth, round stone called river stone that will not compact together like the stone in the existing runaway ramp. The new stones will allow trucks to sink and slow gradually.
In addition to the type of rock used, the piles of rock will be considerably smaller. The new ramp will have piles of rock about 3-1/2 feet deep; the current one is banked 6 or 7 feet high, according to critics.
The new ramp will also have a more gradual curve so it can be accessed more easily by a runaway truck.
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