String of crashes on new stretch of Interstate 11 spurs concern

The Las Vegas Sun ^ | September 16, 2018 | Mick Akers

[eartick]

I think it’s a good idea to paint on the road markers of some sort at the places of wrecks that cause fatalities and severe injuries so that the public will be aware of dangerous sections of roadway.

They do that it Texas. The ditches are filled with crosses where Mexicans have died on their "journey".

[wbill]

first new portion of highway added in the United States in 25 years

Say what? I can think of two new interstates and at least 3 loops/spurs added in my area in the past few years alone.

[GreenLanternCorps]

As I stated above, the Las Vegas Sun is taking the information an incorrect plaque that Nevada DOT posted at the I-11 overlook and repeating it as gospel...

[GreenLanternCorps]

Let’s try this again with better grammar...

As I stated above, the Las Vegas Sun is taking the information from an incorrect plaque that Nevada DOT posted at the I-11 overlook and repeating it as gospel...

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

I think you are right about the elevation change and know you are right about the nature of the road post-tunnel in either direction. Yet from your description it would seem like the westerly direction (towards the ocean) would be the more challenging direction. But the daily accident occurs in the less challenging direction, east, inland, where the road simply emerges from the tunnel and continues pretty much straight with no merges, no curves. That’s what I find odd. I hear about it when local talk radio comes in with the local traffic report which I most most fortunately not personally involved with. I’m telling you, a day does not go by without an accident on the easy east side.

[super7man]

Too many people that change lanes and weave in and out inside the tunnel. To me this is really dangerous.

Everyone should stay in their own lane. For goodness sake, the tunnel is less than a mile long. Be patient.

Oh and then there was the tanker truck thing in 1982......

[Russ]

So, you’re the one who causes these wrecks! :-)

[Clutch Martin]

It is really up to the drivers. If a state issues too many tickets the Federal Highway something or other... Will let the state know that the amount of tickets issued indicates unsafe travel conditions and the Fed will withhold funding. Conversely, if the state doesn’t issue tickets the drivers continue on out of control and get into wreaks which promotes the same action from the Fed.

So, it’s up to the drivers... But most of the drivers are probably too stoopid to rationalize their amount of responsibility. Maybe reckless driving needs a little bit of jail time to help it sink in. Could always bring back the prison Farms and Road gangs.

The reality of the situation is that the FED has overreached into the state’s responsibility. And bureaucratic layering has added cost to federal government operations.

Take all that Highway stuff, put it back on the state level and Lake let the states monitor and control as needed rather than some rubber stamper up in a government bureaucracy telling the states that either they’re issuing too many tickets or they’re having too many Wrecks...

If the states had full control of this funding and full control of safety without the loss of funding that there would be much stiffer penalties and the ACLU feel the need to intervene... It’s a never-ending cycle of BS.

Which brings up the position of tort law reform.

[sportutegrl]

I drove it last month on a trip from Vegas to the Grand Canyon. Google maps didn’t see the road on the way out, but did see it on the way back. It is very pretty.

[Don W]

When I was younger, I noticed that in Montana there were little crosses dotting the sides of the road all over the place, but especially at odd corners and intersections.

I later learned that they were “death markers” similar to what you described.

Slightly creepy yes, but they are effective, I think.

[Mr. Jeeves]

I drove it last month - it's just a straight freeway with a couple of big curves and without much traffic. I can't imagine the design having anything to do with the accidents - unless drivers were looking around at a stretch of desert they had never seen before and weren't paying attention.

They need to hurry up and finish work on the the much more dangerous part of I-11 between Kingman and Wickenburg, AZ. Especially that long two-lane stretch of Highway 93 north of Wickenburg with all the crosses along the side of the road.

[aimhigh]

It’s called suicide by car.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Also, an I-42 is designated to run along the U.S. 70 route from near Raleigh all the way to the Carolina coast.