Light at the end of the tunnel? North Greengate Road train overpass targeted for improvements

A restoration specialist by trade, Bill Cunningham is used to dealing with the aftermath of fires, floods and other disasters.

But he also has found himself serving as an occasional unofficial traffic cop as he helps direct motorists when a tall truck gets stuck or has to turn around at the low clearance railroad overpass that carries trains across North Greengate Road in Hempfield.

There may be relief in sight.

PennDOT has begun preliminary engineering for an improvement project in the vicinity of the overpass, according to Jeremy Hughes, assistant district executive for design with PennDOT District 12.

Hughes said he would not expect any construction to begin in the next few years, but there will be a better idea of how the project will unfold later this year. It’s not clear when the cut stone and concrete overpass was built; the earliest PennDOT inspection sheet is from 1930. The railroad came through before that, sometime in the 1800s.

The work is anticipated to include significant improvements to the shape of the road, reducing the sharp curves and increasing the clearance from 10 feet, 1 inch to preferably 13½ feet or higher.

Cunningham has worked at ServiceMaster Complete Restoration by Stiffey near the overpass for about 25 years. Throughout the years, he has seen the challenges drivers face while using North Greengate Road — a winding, two-lane shortcut between routes 30 and 130.

The clearance below the overpass is often a spot where rental trucks and tractor-trailers get stuck or are forced to turn around. In addition, the low spot attracts water and is consistently pockmarked with deep potholes, causing drivers to swerve to avoid damaging their vehicles.

Cunningham said if he were to design a fix for the area, he would create a grade crossing where the cars would cross the railroad tracks instead of going under them.

“I think it would alleviate a lot of the problems,” he said. “I don’t know if it could even happen, but it would make everything simpler.”

Dawn Sherwood, a customer at nearby Aroma Joe’s Coffee House & Drive Thru, drives though the area at least once a week. She said it’s easy to get through when there are no vehicles coming from the opposite direction, but it’s an entirely different when there is traffic in both directions.

“You have to slow down almost to a crawl to get through the potholes,” Sherwood said.

Improvements planned

Norfolk Southern owns the mainline tracks, and there will be collaboration between PennDOT and the railroad throughout the design and construction process. The railroad structure is now in the design phase and is expected to be replaced by Norfolk Southern, Hughes said.

The railroad inspects and maintains all their bridges in accordance with the Federal Railroad Administration’s Bridge Safety Standards and their company bridge management program, said Kasandra Ortiz, a spokesperson for Norfolk Southern.

Hempfield has had a number of complaints about the overpass and the road conditions around it, which they passed on to PennDOT, township manager Aaron Siko said.

About 12,065 cars use the road every day, said Laina Aquiline, spokesperson for PennDOT District 12. Statistics from 2020-24 indicate there have been no serious crashes.

‘It’s always been a problem’

Lauren Lukart-Shirer, owner of Boujee B Spa-Tique near the overpass, remembers going through it as a middle and high school student at Hempfield Area School District.

“It’s been that way a long time,” she said. “This is the first year of the potholes being that bad.”

Despite the condition of the road, Lukart-Shirer said it has not hurt her business because her clients are loyal and travel to any location she is working at.

“We are more concerned with when they do go to repair it,” she said.

Just next door at North Greengate Auto Sales, manager Mike Petrillo said he has been struggling with the poor road conditions for many years.

“It’s always been a problem, but now, there is so much more traffic,” he said.

In addition to dodging a patchwork of potholes, Petrillo said, truck drivers must contend with the low clearance railroad overpass. Petrillo said he sees one to two trucks a week turn around because of height restriction.

Jason Carson has been working at Carpet Palace across the street for about a year. He said there is a dip in the road causing drivers to be more cautious when pulling out of the store’s parking lot and as they exit the overpass and attempt to turn left onto Radebaugh Road.

“It’s a blind side,” Carson said.