JACKSON TWP — The township supervisors passed a resolution Thursday night formally opposing the state’s plan to lift the weight limit on Route 528.

Currently, the road, which connects Route 19 and Route 68, is posted with a 10-ton weight limit from the intersection with Route 68 to the exit ramp from Interstate 79.

The state Department of Transportation plans to repave the road before June 30 when the current fiscal year ends, said township manager Chris Rearick.

Because it will be repaved with thicker pavement, PennDOT is also planning to lift the weight limit.

Township officials believe that some of the curves in the road and the lack of shoulders make it unsafe for tractor trailers, Rearick said.

“The township officials and police have some very serious concerns because there certainly have been enough near misses out there, and also accidents, within that area,” he said.

On April 9, at the township’s request, PennDOT officials conducted a field study during which they observed a tractor trailer and a school bus navigate the road.

A video of the field study, recorded by a township police cruiser that followed the truck, shows it had a hard time safely navigating several curves in the road, Rearick said.

Supervisor Ron Lutz said a bus driver told him he was concerned about a tractor trailer being able to stop at the bottom of a hill where the bus has to stop to let students on and off.

“The school bus issue, twice a day for each school level that is going up and down that road, presents a real and present danger for those kids,” Supervisor Allan Osterwise said.

“It makes no sense at all.”

Under the current restrictions, northbound tractor trailers exiting the interstate can turn left to get to Route 19, but cannot turn right onto Route 528. Trucks coming from Route 19 can also use the road to get onto Interstate 79 southbound.

If the weight limit were lifted, trucks traveling on Interstate 79 or Route 19 would use Route 528 as a shortcut to get to Route 68 when traveling to Evans City or Butler, Lutz said.

Lutz said the township would also send the resolution and a letter on the matter to its state legislators, though the final decision rests with PennDOT.