Cecil Awarded Grant to Rebuild Georgetown Road Railroad Underpass, Ortitay Says

January 20, 2026

HARRISBURG – Rep. Jason Ortitay (R-Washington/Allegheny) today announced Cecil Township has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the Multimodal Transportation Fund to rebuild the railroad bridge over Georgetown Road. The underpass has become a growing safety and traffic problem due to repeated truck collisions.

For years, the low clearance bridge has been struck by oversized vehicles despite multiple warning efforts. Ortitay worked with PennDOT to install additional flashing height restriction signs and added highly visible and creative roadside warnings, including a giraffe-themed clearance sign and a wizard-themed sign on both approaches to the bridge. He also coordinated with Google Maps and Waze to place digital alerts warning drivers about the height limit.

While those measures temporarily reduced incidents, collisions have continued and are now back on the rise. Each strike damages the bridge, shuts down the road, traps vehicles and forces emergency responders to divert resources.

“This is not a new problem,” Ortitay said. “It’s one I’ve been working to solve for years. We tried signage. We tried flashing warnings. We tried creative visual cues. We even worked with GPS providers. Unfortunately, drivers of box trucks, buses and rental vehicles continue to ignore or miss the warnings, and the result is a dangerous and costly cycle.”

The grant will allow the township and railroad to reconstruct the bridge to raise the clearance and eliminate the hazard.

Ortitay has been coordinating closely with Cecil Township officials and the railroad to move this long-needed project forward.

“This funding finally allows us to fix the root of the problem instead of continuing to react to it,” he said. “It’s about safety, reliability and making sure emergency responders aren’t constantly pulled away for preventable incidents.”

The new bridge is expected to significantly reduce roadway closures, improve safety for motorists and protect critical rail infrastructure.

The 46th Legislative District includes South Fayette Township and McDonald and Oakdale boroughs in Allegheny County. It also encompasses Cecil, Chartiers, Mt. Pleasant and North Strabane (Districts 6,7,8 and 9) townships and Canonsburg, Houston and McDonald boroughs in Washington County.

Representative Jason Ortitay
46th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Tracy Polovick
717.260.6358
tpolovick@pahousegop.com
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