ODOT and OSP address safety concerns in I-80 construction zone
Four accidents in less than 24 hours popped up Thursday and early Friday along a dangerous stretch of I-80 near Girard in a construction zone.
GIRARD, Ohio - Four accidents in less than 24 hours popped up Thursday and early Friday along a dangerous stretch of I-80 near Girard in a construction zone.
Around 6 am Thursday, a fiery tanker crash shut down the interstate in Liberty Township. Overnight, a truck carrying three vehicles rolled over near the Route 11 interchange.
In Hubbard, another trailer rolled over on the side of the road.
And in Mercer County, a multi-vehicle accident shut down I-80 between the U-S 19 and P-A 7-60 North exits.
The Liberty Fire Chief is saying it's only a matter of time before someone is killed.
21 News talked to an ODOT spokesperson Friday who says there isn't much they can do to make the area any safer than it already is.
The ODOT spokesperson says they understand the berm just has loose dirt but he says there is no room for anything else. Jersey barriers won't fit there. ODOT and OSP says drivers simply need to pay more attention while in construction zones.
OSP Sgt. Michael Wilson, says, "Construction zones are notoriously dangerous. You have reduced lengths and widths of lanes so people should slow down and pay attention to their driving. stay off the phones and electronic devices and don't play with the radio."
Truckers say when they are in construction zones it's difficult to see small cars weave in and around them.
One trucker told 21 News, "If it gets really tight it can get kind of hairy. The cars always make it kind of crazy trying to merge in there."
"This is a big rig, right? It's 80,000 pounds. we cannot stop within a couple feet. They need to be more educated actually," said another trucker.
State troopers say they are going to patrol the area more often to make sure people are alert to the hazards.
"Our troopers, they look for lane violations, speed violations, following too close just to alleviate accidents from happening," says Wilson.
ODOT says within the next couple of weeks, construction will switch lanes and the traffic flow around this area will switch to the inside lanes while work begins on the outside lanes.
In the end, ODOT says whether you're in a passenger car or a truck driver, you need to slow down.
ODOT says the project there is now about 60% complete.
