Riverside Drive is the road less traveled in Salisbury Township.

A special exception as an auto repair garage for a truck inspection service along Riverside Drive was granted at this month's meeting of the Salisbury Township Zoning Hearing Board.

The appeal elicited comments from a Lehigh County official and an attorney concerning the condition of Riverside Drive.

The Zoning Hearing Board, meeting June 2 in the township municipal building, voted 5-0 to approve the special exception appeal of Michael Lake, owner of BS&M Trucking Company, to inspect and do small repairs on trucks for Harris-Rebar, 1700 Riverside Drive.

Zoners stipulated at the request of James Kelley, Chairman, the approval is limited to truck inspection and repairs for Harris-Rebar by Lake or its successor.

Lake, who owns several trucks and is primarily a truck driver for Harris-Rebar, said he obtained a permit for his safety inspection station from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation five years ago. He said he's been making truck repairs for the firm since 2000.

"He [Lake] services their [Harris-Rebar] trucks and his trucks and delivers," Atty. Ronald E. Corkery of Corkery & Almonti, Whitehall, said representing Lake before the hearing board.

Based on questioning by Atty. Victor F. Cavacini, of the law firm, Gross McGinley LLC, zoning board solicitor, no body work and no painting is done at the garage.

"You need super shocks to go on that road. There's like 9,000 potholes," Corkery said.

Harris-Rebar is in the vicinity of the Lehigh County Community Corrections Center, 1600 Riverside Drive, also in Salisbury.

"The County of Lehigh has no objection [to the special exception]," Richard D. Molchany, Lehigh County director of general services said.

"We believe the owner is Norfolk-Southern [which operates the rail line in the area]. Norfolk-Southern has been very remiss in its repairs.

"Lehigh County repairs the road to a minimum extent so LANTA buses can get in there to service work-release [at the Corrections Center].

Said Corkery of Riverside Drive, "You try to put this road in your GPS. This place isn't even reachable by GPS."