Local death trap....

driller

driller

El Presidente
Staff member
A local interstate bridge under construction was the scene of several accidents the past week, some resulting in fatalities. There is a long downgrade off the mountain approaching the bridge along with an entrance ramp just before the bridge. It is a dangerous situation with heavy truck traffic even when there is no construction. With the construction, all traffic is bottlenecked to a single lane and the results have been tragic.

http://www.boomboxradio.net/boombox/PlayerSetup/Players/WBOYPlayer.aspx?FileId=108262_wboy

I'm glad I don't have to travel that way everyday.
 
Last edited:
I think people who pass these road designs should be accountable.

Roundabouts are the new thing here. No one is taught in driving school how to handle these, especially the two lane ones. Accident rates at this intersections have gone up 10 fold and local business situated near these have dropped in business.
 
unity said:
I think people who pass these road designs should be accountable.
Click to expand...

This particular problem is only going to worsen. A new 'bypass' in the area is under construction and will be intersecting the area at the same location as the current onramp. All this traffic will be converging just before the bridge at the base of the mountain. Trucks descending the long steep grade are at least required to stop at a recently installed safety checkpoint at the top of the grade, but five miles or so later it does not seem to matter as you can almost always smell the scent of burning brakes in the area.

At the bottom you have a 55 mph curve and merging traffic from an onramp. It's literally a concrete funnel with no escape as the two traffic lanes go through a underpass just before the bridge. Merging even more traffic just at this point is just ludicrous. It has been the scene of horrific accidents over the years.

Now with construction occuring on the bridge, the problem is compounded because only a single lane is open in each direction with a concrete barrier. The merging traffic is supposed to come to a complete stop before entering the interstate traffic. That means they are no longer merging at speed but trying to take off and run from a full stop. This makes it especially dangerous for both those attempting to enter the interstate and for those traveling down the interstate.

At the very least I feel they should've closed the onramp during this construction and detoured traffic via another route. Perhaps this could've saved lives. :(
 
driller said:
This particular problem is only going to worsen. A new 'bypass' in the area is under construction and will be intersecting the area at the same location as the current onramp. All this traffic will be converging just before the bridge at the base of the mountain. Trucks descending the long steep grade are at least required to stop at a recently installed safety checkpoint at the top of the grade, but five miles or so later it does not seem to matter as you can almost always smell the scent of burning brakes in the area.

At the bottom you have a 55 mph curve and merging traffic from an onramp. It's literally a concrete funnel with no escape as the two traffic lanes go through a underpass just before the bridge. Merging even more traffic just at this point is just ludicrous. It has been the scene of horrific accidents over the years.

Now with construction occuring on the bridge, the problem is compounded because only a single lane is open in each direction with a concrete barrier. The merging traffic is supposed to come to a complete stop before entering the interstate traffic. That means they are no longer merging at speed but trying to take off and run from a full stop. This makes it especially dangerous for both those attempting to enter the interstate and for those traveling down the interstate.

At the very least I feel they should've closed the onramp during this construction and detoured traffic via another route. Perhaps this could've saved lives. :(
Click to expand...


Sounds like 2 little room for miscalculation.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
steve said:
I don’t know, compared to around here that road looks safe. :D
Click to expand...

Yeah I have never been to the east coast, furthest I've gone is Selma. But after seeing the Stallone movie Daylight....... Ya I wouldn't ever want to be either :)
 
Some postings were edited for offensive content in this thread, in a response to an alert from a member. Please refrain from posting vulgar, lewd content. Thank you.
 
Last edited:
Roundabouts are a new thing starting up here too, and drivers will have no clue.

Already, 4-way stops are treated as a 2-way, if you're lucky. Most "pause" while sliding through a stop, or jab the brakes and continue on. Lately, I've been seeing more and more people stop at a red traffic light, in a straight or turn lane, jab the brakes, and go on through! One almost got plastered nearby me last week! The driver with the green light, crossing the intersection, had to come to a complete stop. I swear, most people turn their brains off when they get in the car.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top