JACKSON TWP — Seven months after the newly expanded park-and-ride lot on Route 528 opened, it is starting to have damage from tractor-trailers.

John Paul, executive director of the Butler Transit Authority, said there has been damage caused to the lot at least 20 times.

Because of that, the transit authority has enlisted both Jackson Township and the state Department of Transportation to help with the problem.

The lot is not designed to handle tractor-trailers or vehicles weighing more than 5 tons, but they often pull in to park or turn around.

Damage has been caused by the trucks running over the landscaping, the curbs and signs while trying to maneuver in the lot, Paul said.

So far, the authority has only had to do minor repairs, but if these trucks continue to drive in there, they will cause the lot to crumble, especially around the edges, he said.

“I’m more worried about the long-term impacts. We don’t have financial wherewithal to be replacing asphalt on a frequent basis,” he said.

To discourage trucks from entering the lot and to penalize truck drivers who do, Jackson Township has proposed a new ordinance listing specific rules for the lot.

The township supervisors recently voted to advertise the proposed ordinance.

Police Chief Terry Seilhamer said he modeled most of the ordinance after rules that PennDOT posts at its highway rest stops.

They include: no parking of a vehicle for more than 48 hours; no possession or consumption of alcohol; no driving a vehicle in excess of 15 mph; no lewd or lascivious conduct; and no vehicle maintenance or repair. Violators would be sentenced to a fine of up to $300.

Another section establishes a weight limit of 10,000 pounds, 5 tons, and allows for a fine of up to $1,000.

The problem at the park-and-ride lot likely comes from truck drivers who are driving north on Interstate 79 and get off at Exit 83 without realizing that Route 528 has a 10-ton weight limit, Seilhamer said.

The drivers then pull into the lot to figure out directions or to turn around and get back on the interstate via Route 19.

The police can ticket trucks driving on Route 528, though there is an exception for local deliveries.

If the ordinance is passed, the township will post a weight limit sign at the entrance to the park -and-ride and post the rules on a bulletin board.

Paul also said he contacted PennDOT to see about getting additional signs on the interstate. Hopefully, those signs and new ordinances will dissuade truck drivers from entering the lot and then word will spread among truckers, Paul said.

The lot was reopened in June after being expanded. It has 335 spaces and a bus shelter for the transit authority. It is a joint venture of the transit authority and PennDOT.

Though that lot has not yet had any drug problems, bigger park-and-ride lots tend to attract the illegal sale of drugs or prostitution, Seilhamer said.

The rear of the lot is not entirely visible from the road, so officers on patrol need to drive back to monitor it for illegal activities, he said.