Cecil Township receives $750K toward rebuilding ‘Georgetown Scalper’
Cecil Township officials are closer to being able to rebuild the Georgetown Road underpass after being awarded a $750,000 grant from the state.
The so-called “Georgetown Scalper” is in the 500 block of Georgetown Road near where it turns into Valley Brook Road. It has long been an issue for the area with the drivers of box trucks and 18-wheelers failing to heed warnings about 11-foot clearance and getting stuck.
State Rep. Jason Ortitay announced in a press release Tuesday that Cecil had been awarded the grant money through the state’s Multimodal Transportation Fund, and it will allow for the underpass to be raised.
“This funding finally allows us to fix the root of the problem instead of continuing to react to it,” Ortitay said in the release. “It’s about safety, reliability and making sure emergency responders aren’t constantly pulled away for preventable incidents.”
However, township Supervisor Cindy Fisher says they will continue to look for additional funding sources, as the grant is about $130,000 short of the expected cost.
According to Fisher, the township was initially seeking $2.9 million to both raise and widen the railroad bridge running across Georgetown Road.
“We can do just the raising for about $880,000,” Fisher said.
When it is all said and done, Fisher says the new clearance will be 13 feet and 6 inches.
Fisher described the issues at the underpass as constant. Efforts to stop trucks have included flashing warnings and large, eye-catching signs featuring a cartoon giraffe and wizard.
Vehicles, however, continue to get stuck. When a truck gets caught underneath the Georgetown Scalper, Fisher says it not only backs up traffic but it blocks emergency response vehicles.
“If I’m being frank, the signage didn’t work. It didn’t change the truck traffic going through there,” Fisher said.
That section of road is a connection between Route 19 and Interstate 79. According to Fisher, much of the traffic is coming off the turnpike.
“We really just have to accept that isn’t going to go away,” Fisher said.
According to Fisher, officials will continue to look into other potential grants to round out the funding of the project. The $750,000 the state recently awarded does not require any matching funds.
While it goes a long way to potentially fixing issue, Fisher says “it’s a start, but it’s not a finish.”
“I’m obviously proud of personally being able to work towards grant funding for projects that are needed in the township, and grateful for the help of (Ortitay),” Fisher said.