Nesquehoning hears complaints about 1-mile stretch of Route 54

Motorists traveling the “Hautobon,” a 1-mile stretch of Route 54 coming into the village of Hauto in Nesquehoning, need to slow down.

During Nesquehoning Borough Council’s meeting on Wednesday, David Kost, who lives along Route 54 on Laurel Street, approached the board to urge them to do something about the speeding problem along that stretch of road.

The portion of road heading east toward Nesquehoning goes from 55 mph to 40 mph as it enters the village.

“There is a real problem in the village with speeding,” Kost said. “I’m not talking about just a couple of miles over the speed limits. I’m talking about doing 60 or 70 coming off the, what Harry (Miller) and I call the Hautobon, what PennDOT built out there with that 1-mile straightaway. They don’t slow down.”

The other day, Kost said he was out working in his garage when he heard brakes squealing from a truck.

“The next thing I know, a bus is pulling out,” he said.

“There is no way that truck would have stopped in time for that bus if kids were crossing the street.

“Somebody is going to die up there because they are flying. It’s not just trucks. It’s cars, tractor-trailers, everybody.”

Councilman Michael Radocha agreed with Kost, saying that speed is a problem in that area going both directions.

Harry Miller, who also lives along Route 54, said that police used to sit in his driveway to monitor speeds but can’t at this time because the lines on the road that police use to clock motorists are worn off.

“If he sat there one minute, he would have somebody,” Miller said. “Before, when you saw the police there, it was a little bit of a deterrent.”

Council President David Hawk said council would have borough crews repaint those lines and would address the issue at hand with police.

Nesquehoning Mayor Sam Kitchko, who is in charges of the police, said that things regarding speed monitoring will be changing “very soon.”

He said that now that the borough is hiring additional part-time officers, one will be dedicated to doing speed control.

Until now, the police force has been short-staffed as a result of medical leaves and officers going to other departments.

“We couldn’t get out there as often as we liked to because of all the calls, but that is going to change in the very near future,” Kitchko said.

Kost also asked about the residue the trucks leaving the Panther Creek cogeneration plant are carrying.

“Is it toxic?” he asked, adding that the trucks are supposed to be tarped when they have a full load, and they aren’t, which is then causing some of the material to fly out as they drive down Route 54.

Council didn’t directly answer the question, but said members would also address this issue with the police department.