CAMERON - Cameron police wrote numerous citations as two consecutive drilling rig convoys consisting of more than 150 vehicles moved through the city.
The first convoy began carrying a rig through the city in mid-May, moving from Pennsylvania through Cameron via W.Va. 891 and U.S. 250 and back into Pennsylvania on Green Valley Road. During the first weekend of the move, a number of citations were written for violations of permits for overweight and over-dimension trucks. Additionally, citations were issued to drivers of lead vehicles who did not have proper insurance or driver's license information.
After the first weekend, Cameron Police Chief Michael Younger said while the citations to drivers did not happen again, his department continued issuing permit violation citations as the first rig moved through the city, directly followed by a second rig on the same route. Both convoys were on their way to a Chesapeake Energy natural gas drilling site, though Younger said the move was done by hired subcontractors.
"The second one started on the heels of the first one," Younger said. "We were writing permit violations from start to finish."
Younger said the last piece of equipment moved through the city last week, and truck traffic in the area has returned to normal.
"Things have been fairly quiet since then, and we are seeing normal loads," he said. "We are still seeing trucks, but no supersized loads."
Only one accident was reported during the course of the move, Younger noted. That accident occurred on the first day of the move when a trailer used for office space became stuck in a tree on Green Valley Road. The road was closed for an extended period while crews from the Cameron Fire Department worked to free it.
"That was the only accident reported to our department," Younger said.
