Girardville resident asks for collective action by municipalities on coal trucks
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL FILE - A coal truck travels along Route 54 in Connerton, east of Girardville, in 2023.
GIRARDVILLE – Overloaded, uncovered coal trucks are an issue in the Girardville area, one resident said, asking borough council to get together with neighboring municipalities and seek action from PADEP and PennDOT.
Coal-laden tri-axles and tractor trailers are a fact of life in the anthracite region, though such trucks are required to cover their load to prevent it from blowing, falling, or spinning out of the vehicle, per state law, among other regulations.
Some residents say those regulations aren’t happening and are making area roads messy.
“I live in coal country, it’s part of life here, but they need to be good neighbors,” Mary Beth Dougherty told Girardville Borough Council Wednesday night. “It wouldn’t kill them to come into town and [sweep] on somewhat of a regular basis because it’s horrible.”
Borough Council President Charles Marquardt said the borough is trying to get such an arrangement for Main Street and Mahanoy Avenue monthly.
Dougherty suggested the borough to work with neighboring municipalities, like Butler Township and Ashland, to seek action.
She called Route 4030 towards Gilberton “filthy.”
“Going to and from Mahanoy City every day, I don’t even worry about washing my car anymore,” Dougherty said. “It’s terrible.”
Mayor Judith Mehlbaum worried about an accident on the roads between Ashland and Girardville.
“You cannot see the lines on the road, it’s so black you can’t see the lines,” Mehlbaum said.
Marquardt said he’ll contact West Mahanoy, Butler, and Ashland to see if they’ll work with them.
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Not only is the coal dust a problem. The pollution that sits in the valley between Shenandoah and Frackville is completely unacceptable. Need to get some air quality monitoring in that area, specifically for Gilberton and Mahanoy Plane. Maybe some calls to the state DEP will help us around here ((717) 705-4700)…..The coal companies profit massively and the residence of the area suffer…… Then the local politicans bail them out by using tax payers money to fill in stripping pits…. Its crazyness.